Details

ABDO College specialises in the provision of blended and distance learning education for the optical
profession. The Fellowship Dispensing Diploma course is for trainee Dispensing Opticians working
in optical practice in the UK, Ireland or overseas who are interested in advancing their optical
knowledge to achieve a professional qualification.

The distance learning assignments will be delivered through a virtual learning environment (VLE). It
is a requirement therefore that you have regular access to a computer, with internet connection, a
scanner and Microsoft Word/PDF software.

The course comprises of the following elements:
Coursework – approximately 32 weekly units to be studied by online learning each academic year.
Practical Training Timetable – these are set tasks to be completed in practice working with, or under the observation of, a student’s Practice Education Lead.
Block release – Students will be required to attend ABDO College in Godmersham for two periods of block release each academic year for face to face learning in a classroom setting.

The course takes three years and prepares students for the Fellowship Diploma examinations
(FBDO). The course is made up of units of work, assignment questions, block release study and
practice based learning.

Access to the syllabus can be found on the ABDO website here

The dispensing courses are periodically reviewed by the General Optical Council (GOC) who have
recorded their approval of the College as a recognised training institution in accordance with the
Optician’s Act.

Employer Involvement

It is a requirement of the course to be working in an optical practice. This must be under the supervision of a suitably qualified person (DO, CLO, Optometrist), in an environment that will provide them with opportunities to meet the GOC competencies and expectations for practical experience. Each student must have a nominated ‘Practice Education Lead’ and can also have further named Practice Task Supervisors. This may require a change in working patterns in the practice to ensure that there are frequent, regular progress reviews between the supervisor and the student.

Trainees will be out of practice each academic year to attend block release sessions at ABDO College and will also require extra support and time out of practice for examinations. In addition to this, employers need to make time available for the trainee and Practice Education Lead to spend time together in practice for the training and assessment of practical skills and for pastoral support and guidance.

Submission of assignments and continuous assessment

All students should be aware that if their work is submitted late, reduced or no marks will be
allocated in line with the ABDO College Late Submission Policy. Students unable to achieve course schedules will be withdrawn with no refund.

There are a maximum of 32 weekly assignments to complete each year. The pass mark for each assignment is 40%.
In order for students to be eligible to sit ABDO theory and practical examinations, 100% of
assignments need to be submitted on time and passed at a mark of 40% or more in each assignment.

Block release course studies
All ABDO College students in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are required to attend ABDO
College for two separate block release periods each academic year, as instructed by the GOC. Failure to
attend for your blocks will result in removal from the course.

ABDO College does have a small amount of student accommodation. This is booked on a first come, first served basis and applicants can apply to stay at this location as part of the application process. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they have suitable accommodation arranged for their block release periods.

Learning materials and IT requirements

The FBDO programme uses a paperless system in order to work alongside ABDO College’s commitment to sustainability. Therefore, all handouts and block materials are made available to all students at the beginning of the academic year through the Virtual Learning Environment. We encourage all students to attend block release with IT equipment to use for note taking. To facilitate this, power sources are available in all relevant classrooms and all block materials are fully editable, meaning students can make notes in a way that suits them. Should students prefer to make handwritten notes, they are required to print their materials ahead of block release and bring them along.

All examinations are run by ABDO Exams and Registration. Theory exams will be online. Students will need access to a PC, a stable internet connection, a webcam and a mic.

Advice from ABDO Exams regarding the computer setup to run the assessment system is below:

• Laptop / computer with 4GB of available memory. The app will not work on phones, chrome books, or iPads/tablets. We cannot guarantee service on touchscreen devices as some devices might be incompatible with the app. We recommend that candidates source a non-touchscreen device for their exams.
• A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating system, and MacOS BigSur users need to upgrade to 11.3+.
• Intel Core i3 (or equivalent).
• A working webcam that can be used to scan the room, microphone and speakers.
• Minimum candidate internet speed of 2 Mbps.
• Recommended screen size of at least 13″ and a resolution of 1024 x 768.

Fees and associated costs

• Tuition Fees: Our year 1 and  year 2 tuition fee on the Fellowship Diploma is £4,700 for the 2025/26 academic year.
• From 24/25 entry, tuition fees are standard across all 3 years. This means that, from 24/25 entry, you will pay the same tuition fee each year. They may rise annually, up a maximum of a 5% increase each year of study, and typically in line with inflation.
• We aim to publish our actual fees for the following academic year by 31 January each year.
• Our year 3 tuition fee for 2025/26 is £4940 (this is the final year of the old system of tuition fees).
• Other Fees:  There are some compulsory other annual fees in the programme it is important you know about. These include a current £30 GOC registration fee per year and £100 ABDO student registration fee per year.
• It is also a requirement for students to have access to the required practice equipment as per the guidance from ABDO Exams here
• Theory and practical assessment are overseen by ABDO Exams. You can find the costs of these assessments by each year of study here