Deadline nears for students

Students are being reminded by the General Optical Council to apply for retention to the register by July 15 or face a late application penalty. With nine weeks to go, 1,091 students have already renewed their registration for 2009-10, although 3,241 applications are still outstanding.

To apply for retention, which is a legal requirement for students of optometry and dispensing optics, registrants must complete and return an application form together with the £20 fee if they are to stay on the registers for the next academic year. A £10 late application penalty applies to students who get their application in after July 15 but before August 31. Students who fail to renew by August 31 face removal from the student registers.