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2024 Best Anthropology Schools

361 Colleges in the United States
11,105 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$26,630 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in anthropology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #77 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 361 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 11,105 degrees in anthropology to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Anthropology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Anthropology
Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology
Master's Degrees in Anthropology
Doctor's Degrees in Anthropology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Anthropology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of anthropology 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 Anthropology

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CT
35 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in anthropology needs to check out Yale University. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were about 35 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Yale University

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MA
53 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Harvard University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in anthropology. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Harvard University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In PA

It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a degree in anthropology. Located in the 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 approximately 29 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Pennsylvania

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in anthropology has to check out University of Chicago. Located in the 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 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Chicago

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$25,056 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 104 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career income of $25,056.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Washington University in St Louis

6
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NC
32 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

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

There were about 32 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Duke University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In CA
32 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

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

There were about 32 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Stanford University

8
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In TX

Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Rice University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In NY
6.3% Growth in Graduates

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 schools nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were approximately 16 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent data year.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NJ
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

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 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were roughly 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Princeton University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL

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 about 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Northwestern University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$31,197 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 approximately 220 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $4,567 more than the average anthropology student.

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

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,620 Median Starting Salary

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. This university ranks 4th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 116 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $28,620.

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

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TN
29.6% Growth in Graduates

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 roughly 27 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
17.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large 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 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Anthropology degree recipients from University of Notre Dame get an earnings boost of about $2,318 above the typical earnings of anthropology majors.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Notre Dame

16
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$26,205 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 61 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn around $26,205 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Emory University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
14.9% Growth in Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. This university ranks 2nd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 94 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the anthropology program make an average of $27,222 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$33,194 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 50 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Anthropology degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York get an earnings boost of about $6,564 above the average earnings of anthropology majors.

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

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 69 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $2,239 more than the standard anthropology graduate.

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

20
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI
37 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

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

There were roughly 37 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Brown University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MD
38.1% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$29,743 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. This university ranks 8th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 69 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Anthropology degree recipients from University of California - San Diego receive an earnings boost of about $3,113 over the average income of anthropology graduates.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - San Diego

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In NY
23.8% Growth in Graduates

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

There were approximately 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Cornell University

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were about 53 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the anthropology degree program at George Washington University get $9,546 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in anthropology from George Washington University

25
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$44,153 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 33 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from Dartmouth College earn $17,523 more than the standard anthropology grad.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College

Rest of the Top Best Anthropology Schools

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33
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

34
35
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
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40
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
41

42
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT

43
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
44
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
45
46
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
47
48
49
50

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Anthropology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 361 different United States anthropology schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MN
52Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
53University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
54Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

RankCollegeLocation
55Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME
56Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
57Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
58American UniversityWashington, DC
59University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
60The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
61University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
62University of IowaIowa City, IA
63University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
64Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA
65Creighton UniversityOmaha, NE
66Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
67Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
68Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
69University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
70University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
71University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
72Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA

Anthropology by Region

View the Best Anthropology 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 >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Anthropology10,607
Medical Anthropology226
Other Anthropology117
Cultural Anthropology66
Physical & Biological Anthropology53
Forensic Anthropology36

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics47,809
Political Science & Government47,686
Sociology35,816
General Social Sciences17,338
International Relations & National Security13,958
Geography & Cartography8,281
Other Social Sciences2,116
Urban Studies1,453
Sociology & Anthropology520
Archeology333

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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