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2026 Highest Paid Optometry Grads in the Far Western Region

[Optometry](/majors/health-care-professions/optometry/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a optometry degree into the strongest early-career earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their optometry graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Optometry Grads in the Far Western Region

2026 Highest Paid Optometry Grads in the Far Western Region

Below are the schools whose optometry graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Optometry Graduates

1

University Of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

$117,797 Average Early-Career Salary

Our analysis ranked University Of California Berkeley the top school for optometry graduate earnings in the Far Western Region. Set in the city of Berkeley, University Of California Berkeley is a public institution. Optometry graduates of University Of California Berkeley earn a median of about $117,797 a year early in their careers.

2

Western University Of Health Sciences
Pomona, CA

$111,013 Average Early-Career Salary

Western University Of Health Sciences came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying optometry schools. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Western University Of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, optometry degree recipients from Western University Of Health Sciences typically earn about $111,013 annually.

3

Southern California College Of Optometry
Fullerton, CA

$105,772 Average Early-Career Salary

Southern California College Of Optometry produces some of the highest-paid graduates in optometry, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Southern California College Of Optometry is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, optometry degree recipients from Southern California College Of Optometry typically earn about $105,772 annually.

View All Optometry Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their optometry graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• 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.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.