by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended English Language Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
English is the 19th most popular major in the country with 40,481 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Most Well Attended English Language Major” ranking looked at 1,514 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in English. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular English programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The english language 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 English Language Major”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended English Language Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern New Hampshire University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Manchester, New Hampshire. The school has a large population, and it awarded 606 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 373 ’s 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 1,514 schools in the Most Well Attended English Language Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Florida landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Central Florida is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 376 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Out of the 1,514 schools in the Most Well Attended English Language Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it awarded 342 ’s English language degrees 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended English Language Major. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 312 ’s English language 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 1.6% 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%.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 284 diplomas to qualified ’s English language students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
University of California - Berkeley ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended English Language Major list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 254 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on English at University of California - Berkeley
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking, coming in at #8. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 236 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
With a ranking of #9, Hunter College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Hunter is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 232 ’s English language 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%.
University of California - Davis ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 206 degrees to qualified ’s English language students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 205 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 English at San Francisco State University
California State University - Northridge came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 204 ’s English language 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%.
University of Florida landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 197 ’s degrees 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking, coming in at #14. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s English language degrees to 196 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about English at University of South Florida - Main Campus
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking, coming in at #15. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 189 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Blinn College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Brenham, Texas, and it awarded 188 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking, coming in at #17. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 187 ’s English language degrees 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%.
With a ranking of #18, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 186 ’s English language degrees to qualified students.
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.
With a ranking of #19, Texas State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 185 ’s English language degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 182 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 181 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read full report on English at Texas A&M University - College Station
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s English language degrees to 181 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about English at California State University - Sacramento
California State University - Fullerton landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 180 ’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
With a ranking of #24, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Language Major list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 176 ’s English language degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Language Major ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 175 ’s English language degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read full report on English at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
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 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 52 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 52 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 54 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 55 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 56 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 56 | Portland State University | Portland, OR |
| 56 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 59 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi, MD |
| 60 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 60 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 60 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 63 | University of Massachusetts - Boston | Boston, MA |
| 64 | The City College of New York | New York, NY |
| 64 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 213 | Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights, KY |
| 213 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 213 | Stanford University | Stanford, CA |
| 219 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| 219 | Southern Connecticut State University | New Haven, CT |
| 219 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 219 | The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX |
| 219 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 219 | University of Dallas | Irving, TX |
| 219 | Princeton University | Princeton, NJ |
| 219 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 219 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne, NJ |
| 219 | John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York, NY |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
