by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 1,822 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 302nd most popular in the United States.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,803 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. That schools that top this list have a program in optometry in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois College of Optometry. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 126 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern College of Optometry. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Southern College of Optometry is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 134 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Optometry. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. UIPR School of Optometry is a small school located in Bayamon, that handed out 39 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New England College of Optometry. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. New England College of Optometry is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 137 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Optometry at New England College of Optometry
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY College of Optometry. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major. SUNY Optometry is a small public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 90 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Marshall B Ketchum University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
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 full report on Optometry at Marshall B Ketchum University
Salus University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Salus University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 166 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%. 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.
With a ranking of #8, University of Pikeville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. University of Pikeville is a small school located in Pikeville, Kentucky that handed out 55 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, Western University of Health Sciences did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Located in Pomona, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at Western University of Health Sciences
With a ranking of #10, Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Pacific University is located in Forest Grove, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Midwestern University - Downers Grove ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small school located in Downers Grove, Illinois that handed out 41 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Midwestern University - Glendale landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. This small school is located in Glendale, Arizona, and it awarded 50 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of the Incarnate Word landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 64 degrees to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. MCPHS University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Nova Southeastern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 107 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Northeastern State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Northeastern State University is a public institution located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Ferris State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Ferris State University is a fairly large school located in Big Rapids, Michigan that handed out 37 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Houston landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 105 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public institution located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Optometry at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified 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 full report on Optometry at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #22. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 our data sources and methodologies
