2024 Best Optometry Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Ranked #15 in popularity, optometry is one of the most sought-after doctor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Optometry Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 167 doctor's degrees in optometry to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to optometry students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of optometry students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt optometry students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized optometry related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for optometry students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Optometry Doctor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Optometry in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in optometry.

Top Illinois Schools for a Doctorate in Optometry

1

Illinois College of Optometry
Chicago, IL

126 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in optometry needs to check out Illinois College of Optometry. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois College of Optometry is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in optometry from Illinois College of Optometry

2

Midwestern University - Downers Grove
Downers Grove, IL

41 Annual Graduates

$102,561 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in optometry has to look into Midwestern University - Downers Grove. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Downers Grove.

Those optometry students who get their doctor's degree from Midwestern University - Downers Grove receive $6,148 more than the standard optometry student.

More information about a doctorate in optometry from Midwestern University - Downers Grove

Best Optometry Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Optometry Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Michigan	149	37
Ohio	144	65
Indiana	132	84

View All Rankings >

Optometry Related Rankings by Major

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Optometry has other similar majors worth exploring.

Optometry Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Optometry	167

Most Popular Majors Related to Optometry

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Medicine	1,344
Nursing	1,166
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences	649
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions	382
Dentistry	308
Chiropractic	87
Communication Sciences	76
Alternative Medicine & Systems	46
Public Health	45
Mental & Social Health Services	12

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.