Optician training in Puerto Rico

1 optician and eye care program with costs, results and funding that can make it free

One school offers this eye care program, and Puerto Rico has approved it for workforce funding. It shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Opticians fit customers for eyeglasses and contact lenses and help them choose frames and lenses. Most need a high school diploma and learn on the job, while some start with an associate degree or certificate in ophthalmic dispensing. Some states require a license, which usually takes an approved program or an apprenticeship and passed exams, and employers may want certification in eyeglass and contact lens dispensing.¹

In Puerto Rico, the one program asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

See the program

How much does optician training cost in Puerto Rico?

$28,763

is what this program costs if you pay yourself

This program

Finished the program: Left out; Half of Puerto Rico's programs report exactly 100%, far more than in other states
Working 6 months later: Left out; Every program that reports it reports exactly 100%
Earned a year, estimated: about $13,300
Length: 79 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Puerto Rico may also offer optician training. How these figures are made

Is there free optician training in Puerto Rico?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for the program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴For a degree, the job center first looks at grants such as a federal Pell Grant; WIOA pays toward what they don't cover.⁴In program year 2024 it paid toward the training of at least 3 people at this program.
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. The one program with a price costs $28,763.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

The one optician and eye care program in Puerto Rico approved for WIOA funding

1 program

Optician (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Grado Asociado en Ciencias Ópticas
Columbia Central University
Carolina
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Columbia Central University, CarolinaOptician (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$13,300
Price if you pay yourself$28,763
3 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Grado Asociado en Ciencias Ópticas at Columbia Central University
More details about Grado Asociado en Ciencias Ópticas at Columbia Central University
Finished
Left out
Working at 6 months
Left out
Earned in a quarter
$3,315
Length
79 weeks, 13 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$4,570
Students counted
102
Earned a year, estimated
$13,300
Price if you pay yourself
$28,763
students trained with WIOA funding
3
Program website, Grado Asociado en Ciencias Ópticas at Columbia Central University

How to pay for optician training in Puerto Rico

WIOA funding can pay for optician training in Puerto Rico

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for optician training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁶⁷

GI Bill for optician training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Puerto Rico

How optician training compares with the rest of allied health: Allied health programs in Puerto Rico

Where the Puerto Rico eye care program numbers come from

Which Puerto Rico eye care programs are on this list?

These are the eye care programs Puerto Rico approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁹ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Puerto Rico offers.

How the prices and results of Puerto Rico eye care programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Puerto Rico figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Puerto Rico among the states with "known data quality concerns".¹⁰ We leave out the share who finished for Puerto Rico: half of its programs report exactly 100%, far more than in other states. We leave out the share working 6 months later for Puerto Rico: every program that reports it reports exactly 100%.

Sources for the facts about optician training in Puerto Rico

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