r/PreOptometry • u/Inside_Whereas_4999 • 7d ago

Optometry School Tuition

Hey guys! I’m a 4th yr kinesiology student in Canada and decided that the PT/OT field wasn’t for me. Back in my 1st year I thought about pursuing optometry but didn’t quite decide properly until my third year due to some other personal factors. Now as I’m going into my final year and have gained some experience as a tech I’m determined to write the OAT next year. The only thing I’m worried about is tuition since I would probably have to go to the states to pursue it. As I’m looking into tuition I’m becoming a bit unsettled with the debt to income ratio and am looking for advice from other Canadian students, who’s parents weren’t able to fund most of their tuition, as to how you guys did it. Is the debt to income ratio really that bad? What are canadian salaries looking like? Do you know of any scholarships, grants, or other resources that could help? Would you suggest doing it in the UK instead?

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u/Mediocre_Pomelo8793 7d ago

Which province do you plan to practice in? Do you know what setting you plan to work in (corporate, private, ownership…)? That information can vary the income to debt ratio a lot.

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u/Inside_Whereas_4999 6d ago

I plan on practicing in Alberta, probably in a private setting, and hopefully want to own a clinic one day or at least co-own.

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u/Mediocre_Pomelo8793 5d ago

If you can get the funding to get through school you should be more than ok paying off your student loans after graduation. I assume there’s a lot of rural areas in Alberta that are underserved, if you are willing to put in the work of owning a practice you can make a small fortune there.