2022 Best Value Colleges for Optics/Optical Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 189 people earned their degree in optics/optical sciences, making the major the 783rd most popular in the United States.

Across the Southwest region, there were 116 optics/optical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 2 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in optics/optical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great optics/optical sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the optics/optical sciences 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 Optics/Optical Sciences 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 Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Optics/Optical Sciences (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

#1 in overall quality

$15,399 Average Net Price

$44,160 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified ’s optics/optical sciences students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,399 for southwest region optics/optical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of Arizona Optics/Optical Sciences Report

#2

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#2 in overall quality

$16,557 Average Net Price

$41,938 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $16,557 for Southwest Region Optics/Optical Sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Optics/Optical Sciences at UNM

• Best Value Colleges for Optics/Optical Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.

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