by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 353 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $94,353 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optometry. To top this list, a school must have a successful optometry program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
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 “Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 great lakes region optometry students.
Out of the 5 schools in the Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois College of Optometry landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois College of Optometry is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 126 ’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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 84 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. 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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 65 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Optometry at Ohio State University - Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Midwestern University - Downers Grove. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small school located in Downers Grove, Illinois that handed out 41 ’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.
Read more about Optometry at Midwestern University - Downers Grove
Out of the 5 schools in the Most Well Attended Optometry Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferris State University landed the #5 spot on the list. 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.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies