2016_SUNY_Optometry_PRR

Profile  ‐ Entering Fall of : Entering Class Size Overall Class GPA Pre ‐ Req's Class GPA Total Science Class OAT

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

2007

100 3.50 3.37 346

98

88

87

79

76

78

76

72

3.51 3.38 346

3.51 3.33 342

3.53 3.40 347

3.56 3.42 350

3.48 3.35 353

3.50

3.50

3.41 3.35 361 1

3.42 3.38

366

361

The College’s average Total Science performance on the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) has been the second highest in the country since at least 2004 (200 – 400 scale; National average of accepted students = 316) while the average entering GPA is among the top five programs. For classes entering from 2001 to 2011, about 95% of students graduated within 5 years of initial matriculation. Our “Yield” rate is providing an early but positive indication that our strategies to maintain or even improve the quality of our incoming students is working. The Yield (% of students accepted who actually matriculate) was 58% for the class entering in the fall of 2015 and 54% for the fall of 2014. Currently, for the fall of 2016, the yield is 71%, which represents a 13% improvement over the prior year. During the current academic year, 73% of all matriculated students are women and 10% are unrepresented minorities (African ‐ American, Hispanic and two or more races). The latter is an increase from 3% in 2010. For all ‐ minorities the percentage increases to 47% for the 2015 entering class due to the high number of Asian students. Other key items related to these standards include: Graduate Research Programs: The College’s graduate research program offers MS and PhD degrees in Vision Science. The programs have become increasingly competitive, and there were 13 completed applications for available 2 positions in the PhD program for the fall of 2015. For AY 16 the College will have 23 MS (in OD/MS program) and 15 PhD candidates. Increasing enrollment in these programs will be largely dictated by continued growth in the College’s research program. Diversity: During the 2014 academic year, the College’s student body profile was 73% female, 43.8% minority (all) and 10.2% underrepresented minority. According to the SUNY Data Warehouse, among the 64 SUNY campuses, the College of Optometry has the fourth highest representation of minority and international students representing 51.2% of total enrollment. Notably, doctoral ‐ level health professions programs have historically had difficulty in increasing the number of under ‐ represented minority students. While the college has a high level of cultural/ethnic diversity among its students and is well above the average for its sector (doctoral ‐ research – 29.7%), it continues to be challenged in its efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minority students.

The College is investing in its diversity efforts. The College receives State support for its C ‐ Step program, which is geared toward increasing the number of underrepresented minority students; has established

1 For the classes entering in 2004, 2005 and 2006, which had entering enrollments of 71, 74 and 75, the total science OATs were 336, 342 and 342, respectively.

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