List of Good Optometry Schools in the US
Optometry schools can be quite expensive. The average tuition in the United States for in-state residents was $36,000 per year and these do not include equipment fees and other costs. But after graduation, optometrists can also expect high salaries even in their first years out of school.
It takes four years to complete the program in the university, but some schools offer combined undergraduate and optometry degrees. Optometry schools cannot be said to be better than the others as they are all good in their own way. However, I’ve listed 11 of the best optometry schools we have in the United States.
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Contents
List of Good Optometry Schools in the US
1. University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became a four-year campus in 1966 and a fully autonomous university in the University of Alabama System in 1969.
The UAB Health System, one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States, is affiliated with the university. UAB Hospital sponsors residency programs in medical specialties, including internal medicine, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, surgery, radiology, and anesthesiology.
The average GPA for this school is 3.66 and the average OAT score is 321. The graduate programs offered are OD/MBA, OD/MPH, and OD/MS. Visit the school site for more information: http://www.uab.edu/optometry
2. Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
Midwestern University (MWU) is a private graduate medical and professional school with the main campus in Downers Grove, Illinois, and an additional campus in Glendale, Arizona. As of the 2020-21 academic year, a total of 2,998 students were enrolled at the Downers Grove campus and 3,945 were enrolled at the Glendale campus. The school opened on the Glendale campus of Arizona in 1995 becoming the second and largest medical school to teach students in the state.
The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Medical schools are also accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. The school’s average GPA is 3.41 and the average IAT score is 319. Visit the school’s website for more information: https://www.midwestern.edu/admissions/apply/doctor-of-optometry-in-glendale.xml?
3. Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University
Marshall B. Ketchum University is a private university focused on graduate programs in healthcare and located in Fullerton, California. MBKU expanded from the Southern California College of Optometry which was founded in 1904. The university was officially established as a multidisciplinary university with the addition of the School of PA Studies in 2011 and the College of Pharmacy in 2013. Along with Hope International University, the campus bookends the north and south sides of the Cal State Fullerton campus respectively. The average GOA is 3.32 and the average OAT is 334. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.ketchum.edu/optometry
Related: Most Expensive Colleges in the World – 2022 Latest Ranking.
4. University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state’s first land-grant university and the first campus of the University of California system. Its fourteen colleges and schools offer over 350-degree programs and enroll some 31,000 undergraduate and 12,000 graduate students. Berkeley is ranked among the world’s top universities by major educational publications. The average GPA is 3.42 and the average OAT is 355. Visit the school’s website for more information http://optometry.berkeley.edu
5. Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences is a private university with its main campus in Pomona, California, and an additional medical school in Lebanon, Oregon. Western University offers medical, dental, optometry, and podiatry degrees along with nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, pharmacy, biomedical sciences, and veterinary medicine. With an enrollment of 3,814 students (2020-21), Western offers 21 academic programs in nine colleges. The school’s average GPA is 3.17 and the average OAT score is 300. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.westernu.edu/optometry
Related: 7 Best Performing Arts College in the US 2022.
6. Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private research university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davies, Florida. The university consists of 18 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study.
The university offers professional degrees in social sciences, law, business, osteopathic medicine, allopathic medicine, allied health, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, education, occupational therapy, and nursing. As of 2019, 20,576 students were enrolled at Nova Southeastern University, with more than 170,000 alumni.
With its main campus located on 314 acres in Davie, Florida, NSU operates additional campuses in Dania Beach, North Miami Beach, Tampa, Florida, and centers throughout the state of Florida. The average GPA is 3.43 and the average OAT is 323. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://optometry.nova.edu/
7. Illinois College of Optometry
The Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) is a private optometry college in Chicago, Illinois. Graduating approximately 160 optometrists a year, it is the largest optometry college in the United States and is the oldest continually operating educational facility dedicated solely to the teaching of optometrists. The college complex incorporates more than 366,000 square feet (34,000 m2) including an on-site eye care clinic, electronically enhanced lecture center, library, computerized clinical learning equipment, cafeteria, fitness center, and living facilities. The average GPA score is 3.42 and the average OAT is 326. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.ico.edu
8. Indiana University School of Optometry
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campus. The average GPA is 3.58 and OAT is 317. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.optometry.iu.edu
Related: Top 16 Cheapest Universities in Germany 2022.
9. MCPHS University, School of Optometry
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is a private university focused on medical and health-related science programs and located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The university provides traditional and accelerated programs of study focused on professional education in pharmacy and the health sciences. Since 2000, MCPHS University has expanded to include two additional campuses, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Manchester, New Hampshire. Visit the school’s website for more information: https://www.mcphs.edu/academics/school-of-optometry/optometry/optometry-od
10. New England College of Optometry
The New England College of Optometry is a private optometry college in Boston, Massachusetts. It enrolls over 500 students and is one of the oldest continually operating colleges of optometry in the United States. It was originally established as the Klein School of Optics in 1894 by Dr. August Andreas Klein, an ophthalmologist. The college moved to several locations around Boston and was known as the Massachusetts School of Optometry and the Massachusetts College of Optometry until it came to reside in its current location in the Back Bay section of Boston. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.neco.edu
11. Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University
Michigan College of Optometry is a college affiliated with Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan that specializes in optometry. It is the only college of optometry in Michigan. The school was established in 1974 by legislation in response to a documented need for optometrists in the state. Currently, each admitted class consists of 38 students and there is a low faculty-to-student ratio. The school’s average GPA is 3.75 and the average OAT is 339. Visit the school’s website for more information: http://www.ferris.
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Now It’s Your Turn
Now I’d like to hear from you:
Which of the Optometry Schools in the US picked your interest?
Are you going to apply for admission right away?
Or maybe you’re ready to start searching for scholarships.
Either way, leave a comment below right now.
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