First professional · Chicago, Illinois
Is Optometry at Illinois College of Optometry worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6.7 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $128,145
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $143,819
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $273,783
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $290k (likely $290k – $290k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $78k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in IL
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 6.7 years (likely 5.7–7.8)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $13k (likely −$120k – $139k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $944k (likely $682k – $1.24M)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare Optometry at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.