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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools

649 Colleges in the United States
197,356 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$36,428 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Sciences is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #5 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 649 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Sciences Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 197,356 degrees in social sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools Your choice of social sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Social Sciences Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Social Sciences Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of social sciences degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,458 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Chicago is a great option for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1458 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from University of Chicago make $14,989 more than the typical social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Chicago

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
631 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences has to take a look at Yale University. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were approximately 631 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Yale University make $34,753 more than the average social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Yale University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
715 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. This university ranks 1st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 715 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Vanderbilt University make $21,220 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Vanderbilt University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
651 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$51,258 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 651 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Northwestern University earn $14,830 more than the average social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northwestern University

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,007 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were about 1007 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Harvard University receive $25,953 more than the average social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Harvard University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
644 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 644 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $16,172 more than the standard social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania

7
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
532 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 532 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Duke University make $29,634 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Duke University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,481 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. This university ranks 1st out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 1481 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University receive an earnings boost of about $37,765 above the typical earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Johns Hopkins University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
435 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
17.9% Growth in Graduates

Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 435 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Stanford University get $19,347 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Stanford University

10
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
239 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$87,989 Median Starting Salary

Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. This university ranks 1st out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 239 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Rice University make $51,561 more than the standard social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Rice University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,405 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
6.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 1405 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Columbia University in the City of New York get $14,554 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,954 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$53,003 Median Starting Salary

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. This university ranks 4th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 1954.0000000000002 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $16,575 more than the standard social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley

13
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,318 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were about 1318 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Georgetown University receive $21,162 more than the typical social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Georgetown University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
375 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were about 375 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Princeton University receive $18,470 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Princeton University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
537 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,018 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 537 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at University of Notre Dame make $10,590 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Notre Dame

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,831 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$37,683 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 2831 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,683.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
357 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$44,185 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 357 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis receive $7,757 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Washington University in St Louis

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
986 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 986 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of approximately $10,930 over the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Southern California

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
415 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$55,360 Median Starting Salary

Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover. This college ranks 1st out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were about 415 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Dartmouth College get an earnings boost of about $18,932 over the average income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Dartmouth College

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$63,289 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Teachers College at Columbia University get $26,861 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Teachers College at Columbia University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
550 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca. This university ranks 3rd out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 550 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Cornell University receive $14,602 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Cornell University

22
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.

There were approximately 206 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Claremont McKenna College receive $59,138 more than the typical social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Claremont McKenna College

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
989 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,285 Median Starting Salary

University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville. This university ranks 1st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 989 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Virginia - Main Campus get an earnings boost of about $5,857 over the average income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

24
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
526 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
20.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were approximately 526 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Brown University earn $2,542 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Brown University

25
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
446 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,920 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 446 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences degree program at Emory University earn $2,492 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Emory University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Social Sciences Schools

26
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
27
28
29
30
31
32

33
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA

42

43
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
45
46
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
47
48
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
49
50
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

Remaining Award Winners

This list shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Social Sciences Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 649 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, VA
52Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA
53Lasell UniversityNewton, MA
54Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
55Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
56The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
57Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN
58Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
59Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
60Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
61Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA
62Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, PA
63Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA
64University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
65University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
66Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
67Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
68Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
69University of DelawareNewark, DE
70Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
71Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME
72University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
73Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA
74Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
75William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA
76Trinity CollegeHartford, CT
77The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
78Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
79Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
80Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
81Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
82University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
83University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
84Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
85University of California - RiversideRiverside, CA
86University of IowaIowa City, IA
87George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
88Denison UniversityGranville, OH
89Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
90Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
91Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA
92Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont, CA
93Colby CollegeWaterville, ME
94Georgia Institute of Technology - Main CampusAtlanta, GA
95Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX
96Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
97Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
98DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
99Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
100University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
101St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, MN
102University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
103Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
104Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY
105University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
106University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
107Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyMonterey, CA
108Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA
109University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
110The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
111Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY
112University of RochesterRochester, NY
113Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
114University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL
115Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
116University of KansasLawrence, KS
117The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
118University of OregonEugene, OR
119College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA
120University of DenverDenver, CO
121Haverford CollegeHaverford, PA
122Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
123Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
124James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
125Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
126Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
127University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
128Webster UniversitySaint Louis, MO
129California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA

Social Sciences by Region

View the Best Social Sciences Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics47,809
Political Science & Government47,686
Sociology35,816
General Social Sciences17,338
International Relations & National Security13,958
Anthropology11,105
Geography & Cartography8,281
Other Social Sciences2,116
Urban Studies1,453
Sociology & Anthropology520

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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