by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 32,920 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,917 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major” ranking, we looked at 542 colleges that offer a degree in early childhood education. That schools that top this list have a program in early childhood education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rochester University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major. This small school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Jewish University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major. American Jewish University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Out of the 542 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Dewey University - Hato Rey landed the #3 spot on the list. Hato Rey, is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Dewey University - Hato Rey
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bacone College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major. Bacone College is a small school located in Muskogee, Oklahoma that handed out 5 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Oaks College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Pacific Oaks College
With a ranking of #6, University of Maine at Farmington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. University of Maine at Farmington is a small public school situated in Farmington, Maine. It awarded 42 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Brewton - Parker College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Brewton - Parker College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Vernon, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Brewton - Parker College Early Childhood Education Report
Martin Luther College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. This small school is located in New Ulm, Minnesota, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
McMurry University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. McMurry University is a small school located in Abilene, Texas that handed out 21 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Montana - Western ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Montana Western is a small public school situated in Dillon, Montana. It awarded 30 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Montana Western
Welch College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Gallatin, Tennessee, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Eastern University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Eastern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this small public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown
With a ranking of #15, University of Mount Olive did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. University of Mount Olive is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Olive, North Carolina. It awarded 59 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern New Mexico College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Espanola, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Northern New Mexico College
Charter Oak State College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. New Britain, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Charter Oak State College
Pine Manor College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Pine Manor College
National Louis University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 139 students in 2020-2021.
Full National Louis University Early Childhood Education Report
Chestnut Hill College ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Chestnut Hill College
Emmanuel College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Emmanuel College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Franklin Springs, Georgia. It awarded 8 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Emmanuel College
North Seattle College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. This small school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at North Seattle College
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking, coming in at #23. Mansfield, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Gods Bible School and College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking, coming in at #24. Gods Bible School and College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Gods Bible School and College
Notre Dame College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Notre Dame College is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.
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 | Defiance College | Defiance, OH |
| 51 | Mount St. Joseph University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 51 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA |
| 54 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 55 | Cheyney University of Pennsylvania | Cheyney, PA |
| 56 | Lander University | Greenwood, SC |
| 57 | Francis Marion University | Florence, SC |
| 58 | Milligan University | Milligan College, TN |
| 59 | Columbia College | Columbia, SC |
| 60 | Young Harris College | Young Harris, GA |
| 61 | Capital University | Columbus, OH |
| 62 | Sitting Bull College | Fort Yates, ND |
| 63 | Bluefield College | Bluefield, VA |
| 64 | Muskingum University | New Concord, OH |
| 65 | Lake Erie College | Painesville, OH |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Marian University | Fond Du Lac, WI |
| 67 | Walsh University | North Canton, OH |
| 68 | University of Mobile | Mobile, AL |
| 69 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 70 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 71 | Northern Vermont University | Johnson, VT |
| 72 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies | Fayette, MO |
| 73 | Baptist Bible College | Springfield, MO |
| 74 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR |
| 75 | Cambridge College | Boston, MA |
| 76 | La Roche University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 77 | Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA |
| 78 | Mayville State University | Mayville, ND |
| 79 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 80 | College of Coastal Georgia | Brunswick, GA |
| 81 | Centralia College | Centralia, WA |
| 82 | Otterbein University | Westerville, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
