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2026 Highest Paid Optometry Grads in California

[Optometry](/majors/health-care-professions/optometry/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their optometry graduates go on to command.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where optometry graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Optometry Grads in California

2026 Highest Paid Optometry Grads in California

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 California. Located in the city of Berkeley, University Of California Berkeley is a public institution. After graduating, optometry degree recipients from University Of California Berkeley typically earn about $117,797 annually.

2

Western University Of Health Sciences
Pomona, CA

$111,013 Average Early-Career Salary

Western University Of Health Sciences produces some of the highest-paid graduates in optometry, landing the #2 spot this year. Western University Of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Pomona. Optometry graduates of Western University Of Health Sciences earn a median of about $111,013 a year early in their careers.

3

Southern California College Of Optometry
Fullerton, CA

$105,772 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #3 makes Southern California College Of Optometry one of the highest-paying schools for optometry. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Southern California College Of Optometry is a private not-for-profit institution. Optometry graduates of Southern California College Of Optometry earn a median of about $105,772 a year early in their careers.

View All Optometry Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries optometry graduates go on to earn early in their careers, 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.