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2023 Most Well Attended History Major

1,481 Ranked Colleges
32,731 Degrees Awarded
$32,400 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended History Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended History Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Most Well Attended History Major” ranking looked at 1,481 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular history programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended History Major” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Well Attended History Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended History Major”.

1
SNHU crest
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern New Hampshire University landed the #1 spot on the list. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 493 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southern New Hampshire University History Report

2
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 364 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at Liberty University

3
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. American Public University System is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 398 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at American Public University System

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 344 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UCLA History Report

5

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #5 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 287 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong History Report

6

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 218 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on History at Columbia University in the City of New York

7

University of North Texas ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 191 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at UNT

8
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 178 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about History at Harvard

9
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 165 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Yale History Report

10

California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 164 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at California State University - Long Beach

11

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 163 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about History at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at UCSB

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 160 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on History at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

14

With a ranking of #14, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 159 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

14
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 159 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at University of Virginia - Main Campus

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Ohio State

17

University of Central Florida landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 151 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at University of Central Florida

18

University of California - Berkeley came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 149 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Berkeley History Report

19

With a ranking of #19, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 147 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at Texas A&M College Station

20

California State University - Fullerton came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 145 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at Cal State Fullerton

20

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 145 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State History Report

22

With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 146 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Austin History Report

23

With a ranking of #23, Sam Houston State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school handed out 147 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Full Sam Houston State University History Report

24

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

25

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 154 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison History Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Well Attended History Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York
27
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York
28
29
29
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
31
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
32
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
33
34
35
36
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
36
38
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
38
40
41
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
42
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
43
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
44
44
47
48
49
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
50
Binghamton University crest
Binghamton University
Vestal, New York

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended History Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
52Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX
53University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
54University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
54North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
56The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
56San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
56University of California - IrvineIrvine, CA
59University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
59Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
59University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
62California State University - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA
62Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA
62Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
62Brown UniversityProvidence, RI
RankCollegeLocation
66University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA
66Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
66Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
69Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
69California State University - FresnoFresno, CA
69University at AlbanyAlbany, NY
72Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
73University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
73Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
75University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY
75San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
75Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
78Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL
79Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA
80Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA
80Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
80University of California - San DiegoLa Jolla, CA
80University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
84Norwich UniversityNorthfield, VT
85University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
85University of IowaIowa City, IA
85George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
88Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO
89Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC
89University of North Carolina at WilmingtonWilmington, NC
RankCollegeLocation
89Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ
89Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
93Queens CollegeQueens, NY
93Ashland UniversityAshland, OH
95University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC
95Bakersfield CollegeBakersfield, CA
97Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN
97James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
99California State University - San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA
100University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
100Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
100University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA
100Blinn CollegeBrenham, TX
104California State University - San MarcosSan Marcos, CA
104Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
106University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
106University of OregonEugene, OR
106California State University - ChicoChico, CA
109University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
109Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR
109SUNY CortlandCortland, NY
109United States Military AcademyWest Point, NY
113California State Polytechnic University - PomonaPomona, CA
114Montclair State UniversityMontclair, NJ
115Hunter CollegeNew York, NY
RankCollegeLocation
115Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
115Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
118California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA
118The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
118Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
121West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV
122Kean UniversityUnion, NJ
122Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfield, MO
124Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA
124Duke UniversityDurham, NC
124University of DelawareNewark, DE
127University of MemphisMemphis, TN
127Stanford UniversityStanford, CA
127Ohio University - Athens CampusAthens, OH
130University of Maryland - Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD
130Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH
130Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN
133University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL
133Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL
135SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY
135Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY
135University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA
135University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
135The University of Texas at El PasoEl Paso, TX
140Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
RankCollegeLocation
140Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
140Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
140The City College of New YorkNew York, NY
140American UniversityWashington, DC
140University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO
140Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
140University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL
148Mt. San Antonio CollegeWalnut, CA
148The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
148College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA
148University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA
148University of Nebraska at KearneyKearney, NE
148Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
148The University of West FloridaPensacola, FL
155University of KansasLawrence, KS
155University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO
157California State University - BakersfieldBakersfield, CA
157East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC
157Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
160University of VermontBurlington, VT
160University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI
160Towson UniversityTowson, MD
160University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
164United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, MD
164Texas A&M University - San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
RankCollegeLocation
164Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL
164Central Connecticut State UniversityNew Britain, CT
164California State University - StanislausTurlock, CA
164Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI
170The University of Arizona Global CampusSan Diego, CA
170University of Massachusetts - BostonBoston, MA
170University of KentuckyLexington, KY
170Providence CollegeProvidence, RI
174Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY
174Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, VA
174University of Missouri - St LouisSaint Louis, MO
174Boston UniversityBoston, MA
174Fullerton CollegeFullerton, CA
174Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park, CA
174University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MS
174East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN
182The College of New JerseyEwing, NJ
182Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
182San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
182University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN
186Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC
186University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
186Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD
186University of New Mexico - Main CampusAlbuquerque, NM
186Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA
RankCollegeLocation
186The College at BrockportBrockport, NY
186Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
186Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
194California State University - East BayHayward, CA
194California State University - Dominguez HillsCarson, CA
194Kent State University at KentKent, OH
194University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY
198University of New Hampshire - Main CampusDurham, NH
198SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, NY
198Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, PA
198West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA
198University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
198Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA
198Sierra CollegeRocklin, CA
205Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
205Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
205Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
205Mt. San Jacinto CollegeSan Jacinto, CA
209Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC
209Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ
209Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
209University of Houston - Clear LakeHouston, TX
209Riverside City CollegeRiverside, CA
209Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
209University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
RankCollegeLocation
216Salem State UniversitySalem, MA
216University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
216Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica, CA
216Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
220College of Staten Island CUNYStaten Island, NY
220Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD
220Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL
220Indiana University - Purdue University - IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN
220Boise State UniversityBoise, ID
220Citrus CollegeGlendora, CA

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References

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