2026 Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in Ohio

[Optics/Optical Sciences](/majors/physical-sciences/physics/optics-optical-sciences/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for optics/optical sciences students.
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2026 Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools in Ohio
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in optics/optical sciences, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Optics/Optical Sciences Schools
Ohio State University Main Campus earned the #1 spot for value among optics/optical sciences schools in Ohio. Ohio State University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus. In-state tuition and fees average $13,244, with out-of-state students paying around $40,022. Typical student debt for optics/optical sciences graduates is $23,357. Soon after graduation, optics/optical sciences degree recipients from Ohio State University Main Campus generally make around $58,088. That is a strong return on a $23,357 median debt. The acceptance rate is 61%.
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools 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.
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