2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 1,666 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 193rd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, optometry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $83,824 and had an average of $167,326 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 234 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $88,067 and $172,300 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 234 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,970 and $95,025 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in optometry. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great optometry programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the optometry program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$18,689 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 95 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Optometry at UH

#2

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

#4 in overall quality

$10,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern State University landed the #2 spot on the list. NSU is a medium-sized school located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that handed out 28 doctorate’s optometry degrees in 2019-2020.

NSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NSU are $10,600.

Full NSU Optometry Report

#3

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$19,242 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of the Incarnate Word. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Optometry Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of the Incarnate Word is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 doctorate’s optometry degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree optometry students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIW has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Optometry Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIW are $19,242, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Optometry at UIW

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Optometry (Income $30-$48k)

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

Footnotes

• *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.

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