2022 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,666 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 310th most popular in the United States.

Across the Southwest region, there were 234 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in optometry. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality optometry programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the optometry program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$10,203 Average Net Price

$46,964 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 95 degrees to qualified ’s optometry students in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $10,203 for southwest region optometry students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full University of Houston Optometry Report

#2

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

#4 in overall quality

$7,614 Average Net Price

$39,093 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northeastern State University is a public institution located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU also made our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $7,614 for Southwest Region Optometry students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NSU Optometry Report

#3

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$21,597 Average Net Price

$49,167 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of the Incarnate Word landed the #3 spot on the list. UIW is a medium-sized school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 59 ’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

UIW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $21,597 for Southwest Region Optometry students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of the Incarnate Word.

Read more about Optometry at UIW

• Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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