2023 Best Optometry Schools
Finding the Best Optometry School for You
Optometry is the #196 most popular major in the country with 1,822 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Optometry Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Optometry Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Optometry Colleges.
Top 10 Best Optometry Schools
Our analysis found Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Optometry to be the best school for optometry students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. UIPR School of Optometry is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Bayamon.
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Out of the 21 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Salus University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Elkins Park, Salus University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College of Optometry. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Optometry Schools list. Illinois College of Optometry is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
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The excellent programs at Midwestern University - Glendale helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best optometry schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Optometry Schools list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.
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With a ranking of #6, Midwestern University - Downers Grove did quite well on this year’s best schools for optometry students. Located in the large suburb of Downers Grove, Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #7, Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best schools for optometry students. Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Forest Grove.
Full Optometry at Pacific University Report
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With a ranking of #8, University of Houston did quite well on this year’s best schools for optometry students. UH is a very large public school located in the large city of Houston.
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With a ranking of #9, Ferris State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for optometry students. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the town of Big Rapids.
Full Optometry at Ferris State University Report
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SUNY College of Optometry did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for optometry students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, SUNY Optometry is a public college with a small student population.
Full Optometry at SUNY College of Optometry Report
Request InformationOptometry by Region
View the Best Optometry Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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Rankings in Majors Related to Optometry
One of 30 majors within the area of study, optometry has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Optometry
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing | 322,592 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 21 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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.