2026 Best Value Optometry Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in optometry, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Optometry Schools
For return on investment in optometry, no school beat University Of California Berkeley this year. University Of California Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley. Students from in state pay about $15,377 in tuition and fees, compared with $47,265 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for optometry graduates is $14,238. Soon after graduation, optometry degree recipients from University Of California Berkeley generally make around $88,760. That is a strong return on a $14,238 median debt. The acceptance rate is 11%.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
[Optometry](/majors/health-care-professions/optometry/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
