2023 Most Popular Colleges for Optometry
23
Ranked Colleges
1,822
Degrees Awarded
$31,600
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Optometry Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,822 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 302nd most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Optometry Major” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree in optometry. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in optometry.
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 “Most Well Attended Optometry Major”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Well Attended Optometry Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Optometry Major”.
Top 23 Most Popular Colleges for Optometry
Out of the 23 schools in the Most Well Attended Optometry Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Salus University landed the #1 spot on the list. Salus University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 166 ’s 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at Salus University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New England College of Optometry. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. This small school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 137 ’s optometry degrees 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 more about Optometry at New England College of Optometry
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern College of Optometry. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Southern College of Optometry is a small school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 134 ’s optometry degrees 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 more about Optometry at Southern College of Optometry
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College of Optometry. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Illinois College of Optometry is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 126 ’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.
Read full report on Optometry at Illinois College of Optometry
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Nova Southeastern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. This large school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 107 ’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%.
Full NUS Florida Optometry Report
University of Houston came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 105 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UH Optometry Report
Marshall B Ketchum University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #7. Marshall B Ketchum University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees 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 more about Optometry at Marshall B Ketchum University
SUNY College of Optometry ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 90 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 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.
Read full report on Optometry at SUNY Optometry
With a ranking of #9, Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Located in Forest Grove, Oregon, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 88 degrees to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Pacific Optometry Report
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 84 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at IU Bloomington
Western University of Health Sciences landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. Western University of Health Sciences is a small school located in Pomona, California that handed out 75 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 Western University of Health Sciences
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #12. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Optometry Report
University of the Incarnate Word came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. UIW is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Full University of the Incarnate Word Optometry Report
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 83 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read full report on Optometry at UC Berkeley
University of Pikeville ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. UPIKE is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pikeville, Kentucky. It awarded 55 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Pikeville Optometry Report
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #16. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 53 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
With a ranking of #17, Midwestern University - Glendale did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Glendale, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 50 students 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 Midwestern University - Glendale
University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public institution located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Optometry at UAB
University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 47 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at UMSL
Midwestern University - Downers Grove did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #20. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a private not-for-profit institution located in Downers Grove, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’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 Midwestern University - Downers Grove
With a ranking of #21, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Optometry did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major list. Located in Bayamon, , this small private not-for-profit school handed out 39 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students 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.
Read more about Optometry at UIPR School of Optometry
Ferris State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #22. Ferris is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 37 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Optometry at Ferris
Northeastern State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Optometry Major ranking. Northeastern State University is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees to qualified 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%.
Full NSU Optometry Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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