2024 Best Value Colleges for Optometry in the Southwest Region
4
Ranked Colleges
247
Degrees Awarded
$15,600
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest region, there were 247 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $91,909 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 4 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.
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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region.
Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Optometry in the Southwest Region
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 105 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,721 for Southwest Region Optometry students per year to attend UH.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Optometry at University of Houston
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region. Northeastern State University is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
NSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern State University is $10,094 for Southwest Region Optometry students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 full report on Optometry at Northeastern State University
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of the Incarnate Word landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIW, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of the Incarnate Word is $23,126 for southwest region optometry students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 UIW
Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Midwestern University - Glendale landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Glendale, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified ’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
Midwestern University - Glendale also made our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Optometry at Midwestern University - Glendale
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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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