2024 Best Optometry Schools (2024)

Overview

Rankings
  • Top Ranked
  • Top Online
  • Highest Paid
  • Best Value
  • Popular
  • Popular Online
  • Focused
  • Non-Traditional
  • Veterans

Related Majors

2024 Best Optometry Schools (2) by our College Data Analytics Team

Unbiased Factual Guarantee

21Colleges in the United States

1,822Optometry Degrees Awarded

$88,635Avg Early-Career Salary

When it comes to popularity, optometry sits in the middle of the road, ranking #194 out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual reviewed 21 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of optometry. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,822 degrees in optometry during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

  • Best Overall Optometry Schools List

Choosing a Great Optometry School

2024 Best Optometry Schools (3)The optometry program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Optometry rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for optometry schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Optometry Rankings by Degree Level

Doctor's Degreesin Optometry

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 Optometry Schools list to help you make the college decision.More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Optometry in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the optometry degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Optometry

1

Salus University
Elkins Park, PA

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

166Optometry Degrees Awarded

10.2%Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in optometry needs to look into Salus University. Located in the large suburb of Elkins Park, Salus University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 166 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Salus University in the most recent data year. Optometry degree recipients from Salus University earn a boost of approximately $8,777 above the typical income of optometry graduates.

More information about a degree in optometry from Salus University

2

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

126Optometry Degrees Awarded

$90,266Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in optometry has to check out Illinois College of Optometry. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois College of Optometry is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were about 126 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Illinois College of Optometry in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, optometry degree recipients usually make about $90,266 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in optometry from Illinois College of Optometry

3

University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

83Optometry Degrees Awarded

20.5%Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in optometry. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 83 optometry students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the optometry program report average early career income of $74,750.

More information about a degree in optometry from University of California - Berkeley

4

Midwestern University - Glendale
Glendale, AZ

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

1stMost Popular In AZ

50Optometry Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat Midwestern University - Glendale if you want to pursue a degree in optometry. Midwestern University - Glendale is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Glendale.

There were approximately 50 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Midwestern University - Glendale in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in optometry from Midwestern University - Glendale

5

Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, IN

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

84Optometry Degrees Awarded

19.0%Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 84 optometry students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Those optometry students who get their degree from Indiana University - Bloomington make $6,903 more than the average optometry graduate.

More information about a degree in optometry from Indiana University - Bloomington

6

Midwestern University - Downers Grove
Downers Grove, IL

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

41Optometry Degrees Awarded

$102,561Median Starting Salary

Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Downers Grove.

There were approximately 41 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Midwestern University - Downers Grove in the most recent year we have data available. Optometry degree recipients from Midwestern University - Downers Grove get an earnings boost of around $13,926 above the typical earnings of optometry majors.

More information about a degree in optometry from Midwestern University - Downers Grove

7

Pacific University
Forest Grove, OR

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

88Optometry Degrees Awarded

$89,820Median Starting Salary

Pacific is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Forest Grove. A Best Colleges rank of #194 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pacific is a great university overall.

There were about 88 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Pacific in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, optometry degree recipients usually earn around $89,820 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in optometry from Pacific University

8

Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

65Optometry Degrees Awarded

3.1%Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 optometry students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the optometry program report average early career income of $89,790.

More information about a degree in optometry from Ohio State University - Main Campus

9

University of Houston
Houston, TX

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

105Optometry Degrees Awarded

9.5%Growth in Graduates

UH is a fairly large public university located in the city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were approximately 105 optometry students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the optometry major at University of Houston get $3,150 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in optometry from University of Houston

10

SUNY College of Optometry
New York, NY

Doctor's DegreeHighest Degree Type

90Optometry Degrees Awarded

$81,001Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of New York, SUNY Optometry is a public college with a small student population.

There were about 90 optometry students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Optometry in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the optometry program state that they receive average early career earnings of $81,001.

More information about a degree in optometry from SUNY College of Optometry

Optometry by Region

View the Best Optometry Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

Other Rankings

Doctor's Degreesin OptometryHighest Paid Gradsin OptometryBest for Veteransin OptometryMost Popularin OptometryMost Focusedin Optometry
Best Valuein OptometryBest for Non-Traditional Studentsin OptometryBest Onlinein OptometryMost Popular Onlinein Optometry

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Optometry has other similar majors worth exploring.

Optometry Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Optometry1,822

View All Optometry Focus Areas >

Most Popular Majors Related to Optometry

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Nursing322,592
89,359
84,492
84,274
Allied Health Professions82,308
Public Health40,596
35,945
29,833
29,053
Medicine28,629

View All Optometry Related Majors >

Notes and References

  • The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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2024 Best Optometry Schools (2024)

FAQs

What is the hardest year of optometry school? ›

Second year is the hardest year of optometry school and consists of your systemic disease, ocular disease, and pharmacology courses. The workload is significantly larger than first year because the material is much denser, so you can expect at least 2-3 quizzes a week.

Which are the top optometry schools in the world? ›

The two top-ranked optometry schools are based at the University of California, Berkeley, USA (hIN = 132) and the University of New South Wales, Australia (hIN = 116).

Which state is best for optometry? ›

Best-Paying States for Optometrists

The states and districts that pay Optometrists the highest mean salary are Alaska ($180,470), North Carolina ($156,110), Kentucky ($152,100), Massachusetts ($150,500), and Texas ($145,610).

What optometry specialty makes the most money? ›

High Paying Optical Jobs
  • General Ophthalmologist. Salary range: $348,000-$400,000 per year. ...
  • Glaucoma Specialist. Salary range: $365,500-$397,000 per year. ...
  • Refractive Surgeon. Salary range: $41,500-$350,000 per year. ...
  • Ophthalmologist. ...
  • Pediatric Ophthalmologist. ...
  • Optical Engineer. ...
  • Optical Design Engineer. ...
  • Optometrist.

Is optometry field oversaturated? ›

It's created a sense that the field may be oversaturated. Despite this, several factors indicate a continual demand for ODs, including the aging population, the increased prevalence of ocular conditions like glaucoma, and the need for optometric specialists.

Is optometry school as hard as med school? ›

Yes and no. Think of it this way: optometry school is a medical school and residency (7+ years), condensed into 4 years by stripping out much of the non-vision stuff. It's easier in that you become a medical specialist in almost half the time.

What I wish I knew before optometry school? ›

Having a strong purpose for going into a rigorous four-year program is a huge necessity. You will be making numerous personal sacrifices that require a lot of self-control. Many weekends may need to be spent buckling down on schoolwork or studying; grad school waits for no one, so you don't want to be left behind.

What degree do most optometrists have? ›

After obtaining an O.D. degree, optometrists can opt to become specialized in a sub-field of optometry. The way to become a specialized optometrist is to enter a training program called residency.

What is the most qualified eye doctor? ›

The “highest” eye doctor—the type with the most extensive training—is an ophthalmologist, who must hold an MD degree before completing four years of additional ophthalmology schooling. Subspecialists in the field require still more education.

What is the best ophthalmology school in the US? ›

Harvard University

What is the best bachelors for optometry school? ›

Majors
  • Biology.
  • Biology: Cell and Molecular Concentration.
  • Biochemistry.
  • Biomedical Science : Pre-Med Concentration.
  • Chemistry - Pre-Medical Concentration.
  • Kinesiology and Health Sciences.
  • Mechanical Engineering: Biomedical Engineering Concentration.

What is the highest salary of an optometrist? ›

Optometrist salary in India ranges between ₹ 1.1 Lakhs to ₹ 4.8 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 3.3 Lakhs. Salary estimates are based on 3.9k latest salaries received from Optometrists.

What state pays optometrist the most? ›

Alaska. Alaska comes in as the top-paying state for optometrists, where the mean hourly wage is a whopping $85.55, adding up to an annual mean wage of $178,640. Alaska has only 50 optometrists for a state that is home to more than 736,000 people. Alaska also ranked in the top 10 on the list of best places to practice.

What is the hardest class in optometry school? ›

Exams often come once a week, and I would say to focus on Anatomy and Vision Science because your first semester these will be your hardest classes.

What is the highest level of optometry? ›

The “highest” eye doctor—the type with the most extensive training—is an ophthalmologist, who must hold an MD degree before completing four years of additional ophthalmology schooling.

Is a 3.5 GPA good for optometry school? ›

Most optometry programs require at least a 3.0 GPA and a minimum OAT score of 300. Read further for more specific tips and guidelines about application and admission. Use to assess your Optometry School application strengths.

What is the average GPA for optometry school? ›

Pre-Optometry Preparation

A student's academic evaluation is based upon overall GPA, science GPA, college attended, degree progress, and course load difficulty. The majority of students for the 2022 entering class at all schools and colleges of optometry had an overall average GPA 3.50 - 4.00.

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