The Antoinette Molinari Memorial Scholarship is a $6000 scholarship available to full-time students pursuing a Doctorate of Optometry. To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must demonstrate a high level of financial need as well as academic excellence and leadership potential. The Vincent Salierno Scholarship program offers two $2000 scholarships to first year students pursuing a Doctorate of Optometry degree. Upper-level students of optometry enrolled in a full-time course of study with a 3.0 grade point average are also eligible for Salierno Scholarships. Nineteen $1000 scholarships are awarded annually to one second or third year optometry student at each of the U.S. and Canadian schools and colleges of optometry through the J. Pat Cummings Acuvue Scholarship program. To be considered for one of these scholarships, students must demonstrate high-level eye care standards of practice in both academics and extracurricular activities. Grants available through the American Optometric Foundation include Vistakon Research Grants, which are awarded to fund basic or clinical research in the area of soft contact lenses. Three $20,000 Essilor Optical Technology Grants are awarded annually to optometry schools for projects intended to raise the standards of ophthalmic dispensing practices.
For the past 75 years, the Beta Sigma Kappa (BSK) Student Research Grant Program has provided grant funding to students at accredited schools or colleges of optometry in the United States and Canada. Over the years, BSK grants have benefited hundreds of optometry students seeking answers to a variety of questions within topics related to vision science and clinical practice. The current maximum grant awarded by Beta Sigma Kappa is $1000, and 2009 winners included students from the Illinois College of Optometry, the New England College of Optometry, Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry, The Ohio State University College of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry and the University of Waterloo School of Optometry.
The Walman Optical Company offers annual scholarships to full-time students at participating schools selected by Walman Optical Company. The Walman program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, and awards scholarships ranging from $500 to $3000 for expenses related to post-graduate study leading to a Doctor of Optometry degree at one of the nineteen schools listed on the Walman Optical Company website. Recipients for the Walman Scholarships are selected on the basis of academics, leadership and participation in school and community events, honors received, prior work experience, goals, financial need and letters of recommendation.