by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Education Major” ranking.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major” ranking looked at 798 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular general education programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Education Major” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for education students.
Out of the 798 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Walden University landed the #1 spot on the list. Walden University is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 1,234 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend National University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Education Major. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,075 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at National University
Out of the 798 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #3 spot on the list. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 707 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 General Education at Grand Canyon University
Out of the 798 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #4 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 643 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Education at Johns Hopkins University
Out of the 798 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #5 spot on the list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 591 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
With a ranking of #6, Northcentral University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 706 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 General Education at Northcentral University
With a ranking of #8, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. Texas A&M College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 383 ’s education 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station General Education Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 368 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #10. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 305 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on General Education at Texas Tech University
James Madison University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 295 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Nova Southeastern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Nova Southeastern University is a large school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 296 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 281 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus General Education Report
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. This small school is located in Winona, Minnesota, and it awarded 262 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 255 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 247 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 General Education at California Baptist University
Fort Hays State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 242 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #18, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. GVSU is located in Allendale, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 239 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at Grand Valley State University
San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 233 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 233 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report
Eastern Washington University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. EWU is a fairly large school located in Cheney, Washington that handed out 226 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Eastern Washington University
Azusa Pacific University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 259 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 222 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on General Education at University of California - Los Angeles
Ivy Tech Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #24. Ivy Tech Community College is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 206 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Education at Ivy Tech Community College
Brandman University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Brandman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 196 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | Capella University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 53 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 54 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 54 | La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 56 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 56 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
| 58 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 59 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
| 60 | Brookdale Community College | Lincroft, NJ |
| 61 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS |
| 62 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
| 63 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 63 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 65 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 66 | SUNY Empire State College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 117 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 118 | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Point, WI |
| 118 | Teachers College of San Joaquin | Stockton, CA |
| 120 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 120 | Saint Joseph’s College of Maine | Standish, ME |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
