2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry
4
Ranked Colleges
247
Degrees Awarded
$25,400
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry” 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 247 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great optometry programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the optometry program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Optometry Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying optometry.
Top 4 Best Optometry Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
Out of the 4 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #1 spot on the list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 105 students in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at UH were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of the Incarnate Word. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 64 degrees to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
UIW also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 7,917 students enrolled at UIW, 1,174 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 761 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,131. In addition to receiving other benefits, 87 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at UIW]](/colleges/university-of-the-incarnate-word/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry list. 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.
NSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 304 of the 7,349 students enrolled at NSU were GI Bill® students, of which 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,801. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. NSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Midwestern University - Glendale. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Optometry list. This small school is located in Glendale, Arizona, and it awarded 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Midwestern University - Glendale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 3,927 students enrolled at Midwestern University - Glendale, 67 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 47 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,794. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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.
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.