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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 213 people earned their degree in African studies, making the major the 889th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major” ranking analyzed 54 colleges that offered a degree in African studies. That schools that top this list have a program in African studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The african studies 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 “Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major”.
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. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for african studies students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Agnes Scott College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major. Agnes Scott is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Georgia. It awarded 4 ’s African studies 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%.
Out of the 54 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bowdoin College landed the #2 spot on the list. Bowdoin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Brunswick, Maine. It awarded 8 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 54 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Davidson College landed the #3 spot on the list. Davidson, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s African studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lincoln University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. Lincoln is located in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s African studies degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Franklin and Marshall College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. Franklin and Marshall College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Claflin University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s African studies students in 2020-2021.
Connecticut College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Located in New London, Connecticut, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s African studies students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Barnard College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 4 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Vassar College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s African studies degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Bucknell University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.8% 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%.
Dickinson College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Dickinson is a small school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania that handed out 3 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Hobart and William Smith Colleges did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. The Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution located in Geneva, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees 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%. 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.
Brown University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s African studies degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Howard University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 6 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
College of the Holy Cross came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s African studies students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 12 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Duke University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified ’s African studies students in 2020-2021.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Trinity College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and it awarded 1 ’s African studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s African studies students in 2020-2021.
Read more about African Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Lehigh University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
With a ranking of #21, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major list. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s African studies degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Kennesaw State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Kennesaw, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s African studies degrees to 4 students 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%.
Simmons University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Simmons University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s African studies degrees to qualified students.
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. 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%.
Tulane University of Louisiana came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking. Tulane is located in New Orleans, Louisiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s African studies degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 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%.
Georgia State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on African Studies Major ranking, coming in at #25. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s African studies degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
