by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Education is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 327,871 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 158,506 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s” ranking looked at 1,234 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s”.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree education students.
Out of the 1,234 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Governors University landed the #1 spot on the list. WGU is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8,188 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 1,234 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 7,134 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American College of Education. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. American College of Education is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 3,474 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 1,234 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the #4 spot on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 1,925 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, 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 Liberty University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 1,881 students in 2020-2021.
Relay Graduate School of Education landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 1,713 students 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 ranking of #7, Ball State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Ball State is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 1,661 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 1,658 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Education at Arizona State University - Skysong
Lamar University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,625 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Walden University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school handed out 1,319 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of the Cumberlands ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Cumberlands is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Williamsburg, Kentucky. It awarded 1,311 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 1,173 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona
University of West Alabama landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. Livingston, Alabama is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 1,072 students in 2020-2021.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and it awarded 1,047 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full Arkansas State University - Main Campus Education Report
Hunter College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Hunter College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 980 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
George Mason University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 945 masters’s education degrees to qualified 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #17, Concordia University, Nebraska did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Concordia University, Nebraska is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seward, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 917 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. Teachers College at Columbia University is located in New York, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 882 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Touro College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #19. Touro College is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 856 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #20, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 811 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Chicago
With a ranking of #21, National Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 789 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. The University of Texas at Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 786 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read full report on Education at The University of Texas at Arlington
Brandman University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 784 students 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%.
Capella University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Capella University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 767 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major for a Master’s list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 697 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 52 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 53 | The City College of New York | New York, NY |
| 53 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 55 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, OK |
| 56 | University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO |
| 57 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 58 | LIU Post | Brookville, NY |
| 59 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 60 | University of North Texas | Denton, TX |
| 61 | University of West Georgia | Carrollton, GA |
| 62 | Lehman College | Bronx, NY |
| 63 | Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore, MD |
| 64 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 65 | Louisiana State University - Shreveport | Shreveport, LA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 165 | Mercer University | Macon, GA |
| 167 | University of Saint Joseph | West Hartford, CT |
| 167 | Marshall University | Huntington, WV |
| 169 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 170 | Doane University | Crete, NE |
| 170 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 172 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 173 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI |
| 174 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 175 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 176 | Kean University | Union, NJ |
| 177 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 178 | University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA |
| 179 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 179 | Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH |
| 181 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 181 | McDaniel College | Westminster, MD |
| 183 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 184 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 185 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS |
| 185 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 185 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
