by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Ethnic Studies is the 99th most popular major in the country with 9,231 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, ethnic studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,818 and had an average of $22,901 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,787 ethnic studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major” ranking looked at 454 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in ethnic studies. That schools that top this list have a program in ethnic studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major”.
Out of the 454 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Haskell Indian Nations University landed the #1 spot on the list. Haskell is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Ethnic Studies at Haskell Indian Nations University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major. Located in New Town, North Dakota, this small public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ethnic studies students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oglala Lakota College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Oglala Lakota College is a public institution located in Kyle, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hampshire College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major. Hampshire is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major. Institute of American Indian Arts is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees to qualified 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.
Full Institute of American Indian Arts Ethnic Studies Report
With a ranking of #6, Bacone College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Bacone College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wheaton College Massachusetts landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Wheaton College Massachusetts is a small school located in Norton, Massachusetts that handed out 22 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Ethnic Studies at Wheaton College Massachusetts
Piedmont International University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Full Piedmont International University Ethnic Studies Report
Gallaudet University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Gallaudet University is a small school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 16 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees 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.
Wellesley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Pomona College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Pomona College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Colorado College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Colorado College is a small school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 19 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, 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 86%.
Spelman College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Spelman College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Agnes Scott College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Decatur, Georgia, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s ethnic 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%.
With a ranking of #14, Northwest Indian College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this small public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s ethnic studies students in 2020-2021.
Pitzer College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
St Olaf College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
With a ranking of #18, Smith College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Smith College is a small school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that handed out 26 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Mills College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. Mills is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 161 bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #21, Wells College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Wells is a small school located in Aurora, New York that handed out 2 bachelors’s ethnic studies 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.
Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking, coming in at #22. Wesleyan U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Middletown, Connecticut. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Lawrence University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Appleton, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s ethnic studies degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
With a ranking of #24, Grinnell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major list. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s ethnic studies students 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 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Ethnic Studies Major ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 323 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
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 | Cottey College | Nevada, MO |
| 52 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 53 | Barnard College | New York, NY |
| 54 | Hollins University | Roanoke, VA |
| 55 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI |
| 56 | Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH |
| 57 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 58 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 59 | Willamette University | Salem, OR |
| 60 | Hanover College | Hanover, IN |
| 61 | Seattle Pacific University | Seattle, WA |
| 62 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 63 | Gettysburg College | Gettysburg, PA |
| 64 | Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN |
| 65 | Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Howard University | Washington, DC |
| 67 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA |
| 68 | Berea College | Berea, KY |
| 69 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma, WA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
