by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Optometry is the 302nd most popular major in the country with 1,822 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in optometry. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great optometry programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the optometry program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Optometry Schools” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for optometry students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferris State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Optometry Schools. Ferris State University is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 37 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferris is $12,213 for Optometry students.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 105 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students list, UH has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $13,721 for Optometry students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Salus University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Optometry Schools. This small school is located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 166 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Salus University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western University of Health Sciences. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. This small school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 75 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Western University of Health Sciences, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY College of Optometry. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 90 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
SUNY Optometry also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #10.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Northeastern State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools ranking, coming in at #6. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
NSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend NSU is $10,094 for Optometry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at Northeastern State University
With a ranking of #7, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a large public school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UAB also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of Alabama at Birmingham is $16,530 for optometry students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Pikeville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools list. Pikeville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
UPIKE also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend UPIKE is $13,785 for optometry students.
University of the Incarnate Word landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 64 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students list, UIW has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of the Incarnate Word is $23,126 for Optometry students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Nova Southeastern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools list. Nova Southeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 107 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
NUS Florida also took the #15 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $25,833 for Optometry students per year to attend Nova Southeastern University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $14,619 for optometry students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Optometry at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of California - Berkeley landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for Optometry students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
UMSL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMSL is $12,232 for Optometry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. Pacific is located in Forest Grove, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
Pacific also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $32,045 for optometry students per year to attend Pacific.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MCPHS University, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is $37,807 for Optometry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Marshall B Ketchum University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools list. Located in Fullerton, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 98 degrees to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
MBKU also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #11.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $16,845 for Optometry students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Midwestern University - Glendale came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Optometry Schools ranking. Midwestern University - Glendale is a small school located in Glendale, Arizona that handed out 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students list, Midwestern University - Glendale has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Optometry at Midwestern University - Glendale
With a ranking of #19, Midwestern University - Downers Grove did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools list. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small school located in Downers Grove, Illinois that handed out 41 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Midwestern University - Downers Grove, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
