2023 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k)
13
Ranked Colleges
1,822
Degrees Awarded
$14,700
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
For this year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree 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.
More Ways to Rank Optometry Schools
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 “Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k”.
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. 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 For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 84 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also took the #4 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,061 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Optometry at IU Bloomington
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 83 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Optometry Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 105 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
UH also took the #7 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $10,664 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Optometry at University of Houston
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students whose families make $30-$48k list, Ohio State has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $8,581 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Optometry at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #5 spot on the list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMSL has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,324 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMSL.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at University of Missouri - St Louis
Ferris State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Ferris State University is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
Ferris not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $9,859 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Optometry at Ferris
Northeastern State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
NSU also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern State University is $8,315 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Optometry at Northeastern State University
With a ranking of #8, University of Alabama at Birmingham did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UAB is a public institution located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UAB also made our “Best Optometry Schools” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for University of Alabama at Birmingham is $14,800 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UAB Optometry Report
Pacific University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pacific is a small school located in Forest Grove, Oregon that handed out 88 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. It costs about $21,500 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pacific.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Optometry at Pacific
With a ranking of #10, Nova Southeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. NUS Florida is a large school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 107 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our optometry students whose families make $30-$48k list, NUS Florida has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. It costs about $23,305 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NUS Florida.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Nova Southeastern University Optometry Report
University of the Incarnate Word ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k 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 #13 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIW is $21,239 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 full report on Optometry at UIW
With a ranking of #12, University of Pikeville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Pikeville is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pikeville, Kentucky. It awarded 55 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
UPIKE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. It costs about $12,358 for optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UPIKE.
Read full report on Optometry at University of Pikeville
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Optometry Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. MCPHS University is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 53 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
MCPHS University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Optometry Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is $34,877 for Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%.
Read more about Optometry at MCPHS University
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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.
