Detailed Program Facts

Application Fee

  Application Fee: CAD 0 FREE

Tuition Fee

 CAD 23,450 per year

*Note: The fee is approximate and is subject to change

Living Cost in Cardiff University

  CAD 12,006 per year

*Note: The fee is approximate and is subject to change

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Check program website for more information about funding options.

English Test Requirements

• IELTS
  • Minimum Overall Score - 6.5 - 5.5 - With No Band Less Than
• TOEFL
  • Minimum Overall Score - 90.0  Minimum Listening - 17.0  Minimum Reading - 18.0  Minimum Writing - 17.0  Minimum Speaking - 20.0  
• PTE
  • Minimum Overall Score - 62.0  

• Minimum Level of Education Required: To be accepted for this program, students must have Standard XII Higher Secondary Certificate.

• Minimum CGPA Required: 75.00 %

Additional Information

Career Opportunities

Qualified optometrists can choose a career in private practice, the hospital eye service, universities conducting research and teaching or various options in industry. Registration also opens possibilities to work abroad as an optometry qualification from the UK is highly regarded worldwide.

In 2015, 99% of the School's graduates were in employment following graduation, while others were engaged in further study or took time out to travel. Employers included universities, various NHS Trusts, multiple and independent optometrists and companies such as Astra Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

Cardiff University optometry graduates are significantly ahead of the national average in gaining their professional qualifications. To make the transition from a student to a professional optometrist, trainees are required to complete a pre-registration period governed by the College of Optometrists. The 2015 average pass rate for graduates from Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Vision Sciences is 92%, compared to the national average of 74%.

After graduating you must complete a period of supervised practice if you wish to register with the UK's General Optical Council (GOC). This is called your pre-registration placement and you must gain at least a Lower Second Class degree (2:2) to enter this training. Our graduates rarely have difficulty securing pre-registration positions, a process that begins in your second year. Many employers visit us to recruit future graduates, and are familiar with the high calibre of Cardiff students. Several of our graduates are successful each year in gaining much sought after hospital pre-registration positions.

You will become UK qualified after satisfactory completion of the pre-registration period (normally 12 months), where you will undertake work-based assessments to demonstrate Stage 2 competencies, and which will conclude with a final assessment. The pre-registration placement and final assessment is administered by the College of Optometrists.

Graduate careers

• Optometrist
• Vision Sciences Researcher

Scholarships

There are various options through which a student can get a post study work visa in the UK. 
Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa for the graduates with a genuine and credible business idea. 
Tier 2 (General) is the leading immigration visa to work in the UK.
Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme is for students who have completed their Ph.D. and is valid for 12 months for them to work, look for work or set up a business. 
Tier 5 Youth Mobility is for individuals of certain countries like Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and New Zealand aged between 18 -30 who wish to move to the UK. 
Tier 5 GAE is for individuals who want to come to the UK for work experience, training, research or a fellowship. 
UK Ancestry is for individuals who are a citizen of a commonwealth and plan to work in the UK and have a grandparent who was born in the UK.