This article is being updated as more information becomes available
July 21, 2026
At its meeting in June in Phoenix, the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) made several accreditation actions and decisions. The standards aim to ensure continued educational rigor for optometry’s expanding and essential role in healthcare, according to the American Optometric Association and the proceedings report of its June 2026 meeting.
ACCREDITATION WITHDRAWN
The ACOE has initiated action to withdraw accreditation from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry professional optometric degree program. The program was notified of the decision on July 17. The decision becomes final after 30 days if no written petition or request for appeal is received.
The ACOE initiated action to withdraw accreditation because the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry remained out of compliance with the 2025 Professional Optometric Degree Program Standard 2.7 as of the deadline of May 15, 2026. The ACOE may allow the program to remain in accreditation status until it has had reasonable time to teach-out the remainder of the program or to fulfill the obligations of any teach-out agreement to assist students in transferring or completing their programs. This period will extend no later than July 1, 2030.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN UNIVERSITY RECEIVES ACCREDITED WITH CONDITIONS STATUS
The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions College of Optometric Medicine optometry program was granted the status Accredited with Conditions in 2026. This status indicates that a program has major deficiencies in the standards of accreditation that comprise the educational effectiveness of the program—putting its accreditation in jeopardy.
The RMUHP program is required to report on its progress to meet Standards I, II, III, V and VIII and to undergo an interim site visit to assess compliance with all ACOE standards in spring 2030.
PRELIMINARY APPROVAL GRANTED
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Optometry Professional Optometric Degree Program’s preaccreditation classification of Preliminary Approval was continued, based on the Council’s determination that the program has demonstrated it is developing in accordance with Council Standards. The program is required to report on its progress related to recommendations to meet Standards I, II, V, VI, and VIII. The program’s next scheduled visit will be in spring 2027.
In addition, several residency programs received new or continued accredition.
The ACOE’s accreditation standards lay out expectations for these programs and assures all programs have or do the following:
- Monitor success in achieving their mission, goals and objectives
- Provide curricula that align with their mission, goals and objectives
- Support research and scholarly activity
- Have sufficient and qualified faculty in place
- Ensure facilities, equipment and appropriate fiscal and administrative capacity
- Have students who meet admissions criteria, admitted via an impartial process and provided adequate support and clinical experiences for the independent practice of contemporary optometry
The full process for a prospective professional optometric degree program typically spans more than six years, requiring ACOE approval for applicants to continue to each subsequent stage of the process. This multi-step process is intentional, ensuring only those prospective programs that successfully meet all requirements will earn accreditation and offer a quality program, the AOA says.
A full list of the accreditation actions and decisions made at the ACOE’s June 2026 meeting is available here.
