Studying Optometry in Australia and New Zealand

What optometry is and why it is a distinct, regulated path

Optometry is a regulated health profession focused on eye and vision care — examining eyes, prescribing and dispensing spectacles and contact lenses, detecting eye disease, and managing many ocular conditions. It is separate from ophthalmology (a medical specialty) and from dispensing optics.

Because it is regulated, studying optometry and being allowed to practise are two different things. You first complete an accredited program of study, and separately you apply to register with the profession's board before you can work as an optometrist. Only a small number of universities offer accredited optometry programs, and entry is competitive, so it is a decision-heavy choice that rewards early planning.

This guide covers what the degree involves and the registration route in both countries. It is general information for prospective students and is not clinical, medical, or immigration advice.

Accredited optometry programs — Australia

In Australia, the Optometry Board of Australia registers optometrists and is responsible for setting the requirements for approved programs of study. Program accreditation is carried out by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand (OCANZ); once OCANZ accredits a program, the Optometry Board of Australia approves it as an approved program of study for registration. Graduates of an approved program are eligible to apply for registration.

Accredited Australian programs are typically offered as a combined bachelor-plus-master sequence (for example a Bachelor of Vision Science followed by a Master of Optometry), so the qualification that leads to registration is usually at master's level. Course names, structure, and length are set by each university — confirm them on the official university website before you apply.

• Registering body: Optometry Board of Australia (part of AHPRA); program accreditation by OCANZ
• Accredited providers include several Australian universities plus the Australian College of Optometry
• The registration-eligible qualification is generally the combined bachelor + Master of Optometry
• Always check the current accredited-program list on the OCANZ website

Accredited optometry — New Zealand and the ODOB route

New Zealand has one accredited optometry program: the Bachelor of Optometry at the University of Auckland, School of Optometry and Vision Science. Completing it is the standard route to registering as an optometrist in New Zealand.

To practise, you must register with the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board (ODOB) and hold a current practising certificate. Registration considers your qualification and your fitness to practise (including communication, health, and any relevant disciplinary or criminal history). Australia and New Zealand recognise each other's accredited programs, so graduates of an accredited program in either country are generally eligible to seek registration across the Tasman — verify the current rules with the relevant board.

Getting in: competitive entry and English requirements

Optometry places are limited and demand is high, so academic requirements are strong and some programs use interviews, aptitude components, or a first-year vision-science entry before selection into later clinical years. Selection criteria differ by university and change between intakes.

International applicants must also meet the university's English-language requirements (commonly IELTS, PTE Academic, or TOEFL). Health programs often set higher English thresholds than general courses. Because both academic and English cut-offs vary by institution and year, treat any figure you see elsewhere as indicative and confirm the current entry requirements on each university's official admissions page.

• Entry is competitive — plan strong grades and check each program's selection method
• Some programs select into clinical years after a first-year vision-science stage
• Meet the university's English requirement (IELTS / PTE Academic / TOEFL — set by the university)
• Requirements vary by year — verify on the official admissions page

From graduate to registered optometrist

Graduating from an accredited program makes you eligible to apply for registration — it does not automatically register you. In Australia you apply to the Optometry Board of Australia through AHPRA; in New Zealand you apply to the ODOB. Registration and a current practising certificate are what allow you to work as an optometrist.

Internationally trained optometrists (those who studied outside an accredited program) follow a separate assessment pathway rather than this graduate route. No program can guarantee registration — meeting all board requirements is essential, so confirm the exact steps, documents, and any additional assessments directly with the relevant board.

Careers, post-study work, and skilled migration

Registered optometrists work in private practice, retail-linked clinics, hospital eye departments, community and Aboriginal or Māori health services, and increasingly in shared-care roles managing ocular disease. Demand exists across metropolitan and regional areas in both countries.

After finishing an eligible qualification, graduates may be able to apply for post-study work rights (for example Australia's Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485, or New Zealand's post-study work visa) and, over time, explore skilled-migration options. Visa settings and any occupation-list status change frequently. This is general information, not immigration advice — check the official Australian Government (Home Affairs) and Immigration New Zealand sources, and consider a licensed or registered migration adviser for your own situation.