2027 Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region
[Optics/Optical Sciences](/majors/physical-sciences/physics/optics-optical-sciences/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong optics/optical sciences education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value optics/optical sciences schools.
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2027 Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the optics/optical sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools
University Of North Carolina At Charlotte tops our 2027 list of the best value optics/optical sciences schools in the Southeast Region. Located in the city of Charlotte, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,239, with out-of-state students paying around $22,492. Typical student debt for optics/optical sciences graduates is $28,750. Early-career optics/optical sciences graduates make about $70,150. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in optics/optical sciences will find it at Clemson University, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,554, with out-of-state students paying around $40,866. Students borrow a median of $23,783 to complete the optics/optical sciences program here. Early-career optics/optical sciences graduates make about $53,834. That is a strong return on a $23,783 median debt. The acceptance rate is 38%.
Students looking for strong value in optics/optical sciences will find it at Duke University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,758. Optics/optical Sciences graduates carry a median of $13,296 in student loans. Early-career optics/optical sciences graduates make about $83,388. That is a strong return on a $13,296 median debt. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
