Applicant Responsibilities & Code of Conduct

OptomCAS Applicant Responsibilities

• Review the application procedures and admissions prerequisites of each designated optometry program for which you plan to apply.
• Provide all required information on the OptomCAS application accurately and in a timely manner.
• Provide all required information on the supplemental applications (if required) accurately and in a timely manner.
• Abide by all selected OptomCAS program-specific deadlines.
• Use the OptomCAS Transcript ID Form to arrange for all official U.S. and Canadian transcripts to be sent to OptomCAS by the program’s application deadline.
• Arrange for OptomCAS to receive a course-by-course Transcript Evaluation Report for all international institutions attended, if required by your designated optometry programs.
• Provide the names and email addresses of your evaluators and notify them they will be contacted by email for their letter and evaluation.
• Respond immediately to all notices and questions received from OptomCAS and each program to which you apply. You are responsible for checking your personal email, including any junk mail folders, and OptomCAS accounts for these important notices and questions.
• Print a copy of the completed OptomCAS application upon submission.
• Agree to submit the correct OptomCAS application fee.
• Check your application status by logging in to the OptomCAS application.
• Promptly notify OptomCAS of any change in contact information.
• Promptly notify all designated programs of any change in contact information.
• Agree to allow the optometry program to conduct a criminal background check, where permissible by law, and to pay any associated fees. Pay any additional school and college supplemental fees that may be required.
• Contact your programs directly regarding questions about admissions decisions, school-specific admissions criteria, or other program-specific information.
• Respond promptly to programs, either to accept or decline interview invitations and offers of admission.
• Respond promptly to all offers of admission. Once you have accepted an offer, it is your obligation to immediately notify and withdraw any outstanding applications or to decline offers of admission from other programs. If you are holding more than one seat after May 15, failure to decline multiple offers may result in offers of admission being changed or revoked. Applicants who receive multiple offers after May 15th must respond to those offers quickly, as failure to do so may result in offers of admission being changed or revoked. Schools and colleges of optometry participate in Shared Acceptance Reports during the OptomCAS cycle, which allows them to be informed when candidates are holding more than one seat.
• Log off the OptomCAS application after the completion of each entry to protect against unauthorized access of application information submitted to OptomCAS.

OptomCAS Applicant Code of Conduct

Once admitted to a professional optometry program, students are considered to be members of the optometry profession and therefore, bear the responsibility to adhere to the professional, ethical, and legal standards prescribed for the practice of optometry and their school or college of optometry. Applicants, although not yet members of the profession, are likewise bound to legal and ethical standards of behavior during the admissions process. Schools and colleges of optometry are encouraged to admit applicants who possess a high level of professionalism and professional potential.

The Applicant Code of Conduct provides an explicit statement of applicant responsibilities and expected standards of performance and behavior.

Applicants are expected to:

• Act with honesty and integrity throughout the admissions process when interacting with school admissions officers, admissions committees, and OptomCAS staff.
• Respect the knowledge, skills, and professionalism of those involved in the admissions process, including the faculty and staff at the schools and colleges of optometry and OptomCAS staff.
• Respect the autonomy and dignity of fellow applicants, admissions staff, faculty, students, and anyone involved in the admissions process.
• Be responsible and accountable for their actions and personally manage and respond to all matters related to their application.

Misconduct, as defined in the Applicant Code of Conduct, and all forms of dishonesty, are not tolerated in the application process. An applicant who acts unethically may be denied admission to all OptomCAS participating schools and colleges of optometry for the current and future application cycles. Moreover, such unethical actions, if disclosed after enrollment in a program, or at the beginning of optometric practice, can result in more serious consequences. It is important that applicants understand the significance of exhibiting professional behavior throughout their careers, starting with the application process.

I affirm that I have read and understand both the OptomCAS Applicant Responsibilities and the OptomCAS Code of Conduct that are listed above. In addition, I affirm that all the information contained in my application is factually correct and honestly presented. I understand and agree that any information I provide that is dishonest or misrepresents me will be shared with all schools and colleges of optometry. I certify that all written passages within my OptomCAS application, including but not limited to, personal statements, essays, and descriptions of work and education activities and events, are my own work, and have not been written or modified in whole or part, by any other person or any generative artificial intelligence platform, technology, system or process, including but not limited to Chat GPT (collectively, “Generative AI”). I further understand that if I misrepresent myself or otherwise act unethically or dishonestly, I may be denied admission to all OptomCAS participating schools and colleges of optometry for the current and future application cycles. All credential data, including the application form, letters of recommendation, transcripts in support of the application, photographs, and personal statements become property of OptomCAS and cannot be returned.