2022 Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 1,666 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 193rd most popular in the United States. 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 Southwest region, there were 234 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $88,067 and $172,300 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 234 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,970 and $95,025 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the optometry program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 a Doctorate in the Southwest Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region doctor’s degree optometry students.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry in the Southwest Region

#1

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

#4 in overall quality

$10,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northeastern State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 28 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern State University are $10,600, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northeastern State University Optometry Report

#2

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$18,689 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 95 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689.

Read full report on Optometry at UH

#3

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$19,242 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of the Incarnate Word. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region. This medium-sized school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 59 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

UIW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIW are $19,242.

Read full report on Optometry at UIW

#4

Midwestern University - Glendale

Glendale, Arizona

#1 in overall quality

$47,512 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Midwestern University - Glendale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region. This small school is located in Glendale, Arizona, and it awarded 52 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree optometry students list, Midwestern University - Glendale has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Midwestern University - Glendale are $47,512, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Optometry at Midwestern University - Glendale

• 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.

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