2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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

Across the Southeast region, there were 293 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 293 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,978 and $116,300 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent optometry programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the optometry program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The optometry school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region doctor’s degree optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region

#1

University of Pikeville

Pikeville, Kentucky

#3 in overall quality

$8,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pikeville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pikeville is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pikeville, Kentucky. It awarded 36 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region doctor’s degree optometry students whose families make $30-$48k list, UPIKE has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UPIKE are $8,100, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Optometry at University of Pikeville

#2

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

#1 in overall quality

$19,188 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Alabama at Birmingham is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.

UAB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UAB are $19,188, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Optometry at UAB

#3

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

#2 in overall quality

$22,242 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southeast Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Nova Southeastern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Nova Southeastern University is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.

NUS Florida also made our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at NUS Florida are $22,242, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Optometry at NUS Florida

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k)

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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