2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry in the Far Western US Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Optometry is the 193rd most popular major in the country with 1,666 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, optometry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $83,824 and had an average of $167,326 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 333 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $78,675 and $175,941 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 333 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in optometry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent optometry programs, but they also 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry in the Far Western US Region

#1

Western University of Health Sciences

Pomona, California

#4 in overall quality

$23,596 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western University of Health Sciences landed the #1 spot on the list. Western University of Health Sciences is a small school located in Pomona, California that handed out 75 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

Western University of Health Sciences not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western University of Health Sciences are $23,596.

Read more about Optometry at Western University of Health Sciences

#2

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 66 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Berkeley Optometry Report

#3

Pacific University

Forest Grove, Oregon

#2 in overall quality

$35,325 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$95,169 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Pacific University landed the #3 spot on the list. Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Forest Grove, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 91 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pacific University are $35,325, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Optometry at Pacific University

#4

Marshall B Ketchum University

Fullerton, California

#3 in overall quality

$37,646 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Marshall B Ketchum University landed the #4 spot on the list. MBKU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 101 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region doctor’s degree optometry students list, MBKU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MBKU are $37,646.

Full Marshall B Ketchum University Optometry Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry

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

Footnotes

• *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.

Featured Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >