2022 Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in optometry. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent optometry programs, but they also 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Optometry Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

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

#1

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$9,925 Average Net Price

$46,964 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #1 spot on the list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s optometry degrees to 95 students in 2019-2020.

UH also took the #2 spot in our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,925 for Southwest Region Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Houston.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Optometry at UH

#2

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

#4 in overall quality

$7,543 Average Net Price

$39,093 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Northeastern State University is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.

NSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern State University is $7,543 for Southwest Region Optometry students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Optometry at NSU

#3

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$23,053 Average Net Price

$49,167 Average Early-Career Earnings

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 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 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.

UIW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Optometry Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $23,053 for southwest region optometry students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIW.

Read more about Optometry at UIW

• Best Value 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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