2023 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (With Aid)
13
Ranked Colleges
1,822
Degrees Awarded
$18,800
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
Optometry is the 194th most popular major in the country with 1,822 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Getting Aid” 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the optometry program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Optometry Schools
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 “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for optometry students with aid.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (With Aid)
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #1 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 84 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $14,619 for Optometry students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Optometry at Indiana University - Bloomington
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #2 spot on the list. UMSL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMSL, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - St Louis is $12,232 for Optometry students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Missouri - St Louis Optometry Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for optometry students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Optometry at UC Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 105 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $13,721 for Optometry students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Ferris State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid. Ferris is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris is $12,213 for optometry students with aid.
Full Ferris Optometry Report
Northeastern State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized school is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and it awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students with aid list, NSU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NSU is $10,094 for optometry students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Optometry at Northeastern State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. It costs about $16,845 for optometry students with aid per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
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.
Full Ohio State Optometry Report
University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and it awarded 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students with aid list, UAB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,530 for Optometry students with aid per year to attend UAB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Full UAB Optometry Report
University of the Incarnate Word came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
UIW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of the Incarnate Word is $23,126 for Optometry students with aid.
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 UIW
Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Forest Grove, Oregon, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 88 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Pacific is $32,045 for optometry students with aid.
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 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%.
Read more about Optometry at Pacific University
Nova Southeastern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. NUS Florida is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 107 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
NUS Florida also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $25,833 for Optometry students with aid per year to attend Nova Southeastern University.
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 more about Optometry at Nova Southeastern University
University of Pikeville did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. University of Pikeville is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pikeville, Kentucky. It awarded 55 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UPIKE also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for UPIKE is $13,785 for optometry students with aid.
Full UPIKE Optometry Report
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. MCPHS University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
MCPHS University also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is $37,807 for optometry students with aid.
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%.
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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