2023 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $48-$75k)
13
Ranked Colleges
1,822
Degrees Awarded
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,822 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 194th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, optometry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $88,635 and had an average of $0 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 13 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 cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the optometry program at the school. 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 “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 83 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $13,423 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Optometry Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.
In addition to being on our optometry students whose families make $48-$75k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,369 for optometry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at Indiana University - Bloomington
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. UMSL is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 47 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UMSL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. It costs about $11,291 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at University of Missouri - St Louis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 105 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $13,382 for optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read full report on Optometry at UH
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 65 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $13,273 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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.
Read more about Optometry at Ohio State
Ferris State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Big Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
Ferris also took the #16 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,230 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ferris.
Read more about Optometry at Ferris
Northeastern State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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 also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $11,718 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Full Northeastern State University Optometry Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UAB is a large school located in Birmingham, Alabama that handed out 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UAB also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for UAB is $17,857 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Optometry at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Pacific University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Pacific University 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. The yearly cost to attend Pacific University is $28,111 for optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. 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.
Read more about Optometry at Pacific University
Nova Southeastern University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 107 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
NUS Florida not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for NUS Florida is $27,150 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read full report on Optometry at NUS Florida
University of the Incarnate Word ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 64 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIW has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIW is $23,172 for optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read full report on Optometry at University of the Incarnate Word
With a ranking of #12, University of Pikeville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Pikeville, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
UPIKE also took the #21 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pikeville is $14,360 for Optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Optometry at University of Pikeville
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
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 estimated yearly cost for MCPHS University is $38,606 for optometry students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Full Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 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
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees 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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