2026 Best Value Optometry Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Optometry](/majors/health-care-professions/optometry/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for optometry students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Optometry Schools in the The Plains States Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the optometry degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Optometry Schools
University Of Missouri St Louis earned the #1 spot for value among optometry schools in the The Plains States Region. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, University Of Missouri St Louis is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,120, with out-of-state students paying around $37,620. Typical student debt for optometry graduates is $25,943. Early-career optometry graduates make about $97,440. That is a strong return on a $25,943 median debt. The acceptance rate is 63%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
