by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 40,481 people earned their degree in general English literature, making the major the 24th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general English literature graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $29,881 and had an average of $23,769 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 924 general English literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 145 colleges that offer a degree in general English literature. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular general English literature programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 English Major for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s English degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General English Literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Out of the 145 schools in the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school awarded 27 degrees to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 145 schools in the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #3 spot on the list. Columbia is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 23 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York General English Literature Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 20 doctorate’s English 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus General English Literature Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus General English Literature Report
Murray State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. Murray State University is a medium-sized school located in Murray, Kentucky that handed out 18 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s English degrees to qualified students.
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 97%.
Read full report on General English Literature at The University of Texas at Austin
Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 General English Literature at Rutgers New Brunswick
The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s English degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full The Graduate Center, CUNY General English Literature Report
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 14 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s English 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%.
Read more about General English Literature at Illinois State
University at Buffalo landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Buffalo, New York, this large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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%.
Read full report on General English Literature at University at Buffalo
University of Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Chicago General English Literature Report
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #12. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 doctorate’s English degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General English Literature at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s English degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus General English Literature Report
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #12. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 85%.
Read more about General English Literature at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #17, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate list. UMass Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General English Literature at University of Massachusetts Amherst
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station General English Literature Report
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about General English Literature at University of California - Los Angeles
University of Louisiana at Lafayette came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. UL Lafayette is a fairly large public school situated in Lafayette, Louisiana. It awarded 11 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of Louisiana at Lafayette General English Literature Report
Duke University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
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 0.3%, 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 97%.
With a ranking of #22, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Florida General English Literature Report
With a ranking of #22, Georgia State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate list. Georgia State is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 10 doctorate’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General English Literature at Georgia State University
University of Notre Dame landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
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. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on General English Literature at University of Notre Dame
With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s English degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s English degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read full report on General English Literature at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended English Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified doctorate’s English students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
