by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Optometry is the 194th most popular major in the country with 1,822 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,803 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major” ranking looked at 23 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. That schools that top this list have a program in optometry in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The optometry school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major”.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree optometry students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern College of Optometry. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major. This small school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 134 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College of Optometry. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 126 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Optometry. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Bayamon, is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Optometry Optometry Report
Out of the 23 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New England College of Optometry landed the #4 spot on the list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 137 students in 2020-2021.
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 more about Optometry at New England College of Optometry
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY College of Optometry. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. SUNY Optometry is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 90 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Marshall B Ketchum University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 98 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
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.
Salus University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 166 degrees to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
University of Pikeville landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. UPIKE is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pikeville, Kentucky. It awarded 55 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Western University of Health Sciences came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Located in Pomona, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Optometry at Western University of Health Sciences
Pacific University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Forest Grove, Oregon is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 88 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Midwestern University - Downers Grove landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is located in Downers Grove, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Midwestern University - Glendale came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. Glendale, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Optometry at Midwestern University - Glendale
University of the Incarnate Word did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #13. University of the Incarnate Word is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 64 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Optometry at University of the Incarnate Word
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. MCPHS University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Nova Southeastern University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. NUS Florida is a large school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 107 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 47 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking, coming in at #17. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s optometry degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Ferris State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Ferris State University is a public institution located in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Houston ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 105 degrees to qualified doctorate’s optometry students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major ranking. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a large school located in Birmingham, Alabama that handed out 50 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 ranking of #21, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 84 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Optometry at Indiana University - Bloomington
With a ranking of #22, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 64 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #23, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Optometry Major list. Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
