2023 Best Value Colleges for Optometry in the Southeast Region
3
Ranked Colleges
346
Degrees Awarded
$18,700
Avg Net Price*
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 in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
Across the Southeast region, there were 346 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $94,909 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality optometry programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region.
Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Optometry in the Southeast Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Alabama at Birmingham. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and it awarded 50 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UAB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $16,530 for southeast region optometry students per year to attend University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Optometry at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pikeville landed the #2 spot on the list. UPIKE is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pikeville, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPIKE also made our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UPIKE is $13,785 for southeast region optometry students.
Read full report on Optometry at University of Pikeville
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Nova Southeastern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region list. NUS Florida is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It awarded 107 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
NUS Florida also took the #2 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Nova Southeastern University is $25,833 for Southeast Region Optometry students.
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%.
Full NUS Florida Optometry Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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.
college factual
