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2023 Most Well Attended History Major

1,481 Ranked Colleges
32,731 Degrees Awarded
$32,400 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended History Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended History Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Most Well Attended History Major” ranking looked at 1,481 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular history programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 History Major” 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. 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.

Most Well Attended History Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended History Major”.

1
SNHU crest
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern New Hampshire University landed the #1 spot on the list. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 493 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southern New Hampshire University History Report

2
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 364 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at Liberty University

3
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. American Public University System is a large private for-profit school situated in Charles Town, West Virginia. It awarded 398 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at American Public University System

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 344 diplomas to qualified ’s history students 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%.

Full UCLA History Report

5

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #5 spot on the list. Arizona State University - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 287 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong History Report

6

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 218 students 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%. 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 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.

Read full report on History at Columbia University in the City of New York

7

University of North Texas ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 191 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 History at UNT

8
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 178 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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.

Read more about History at Harvard

9
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 165 ’s history 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 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.

Full Yale History Report

10

California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 164 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at California State University - Long Beach

11

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 163 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about History at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 ’s 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at UCSB

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 160 ’s 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 1.3% 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 History at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

14

With a ranking of #14, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 159 ’s history degrees 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 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%.

Read full report on History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

14
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 159 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.

Read full report on History at University of Virginia - Main Campus

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 155 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read more about History at Ohio State

17

University of Central Florida landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 151 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at University of Central Florida

18

University of California - Berkeley came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 149 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley History Report

19

With a ranking of #19, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 147 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at Texas A&M College Station

20

California State University - Fullerton came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 145 ’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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at Cal State Fullerton

20

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 145 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%.

Full Sac State History Report

22

With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 146 degrees to qualified ’s history students 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%.

Full UT Austin History Report

23

With a ranking of #23, Sam Houston State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school handed out 147 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Full Sam Houston State University History Report

24

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on History at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

25

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 154 ’s history 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison History Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Well Attended History Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York
27
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York
28
29
29
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
31
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
32
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
33
34
35
36
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
36
38
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
38
40
41
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
42
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
43
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
44
44
47
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois
48
49
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
50
Binghamton University crest
Binghamton University
Vestal, New York

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended History Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
52 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
53 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
54 University of Georgia Athens, GA
54 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
56 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
56 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
56 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
59 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
59 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
59 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
62 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
62 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
62 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
62 Brown University Providence, RI
Rank College Location
66 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
66 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
66 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
69 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
69 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
69 University at Albany Albany, NY
72 Florida International University Miami, FL
73 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
73 Fordham University Bronx, NY
75 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
75 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
75 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
78 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
79 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
80 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
80 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
80 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
80 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
84 Norwich University Northfield, VT
85 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
85 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
85 George Washington University Washington, DC
88 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
89 Georgetown University Washington, DC
89 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
Rank College Location
89 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
89 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
93 Queens College Queens, NY
93 Ashland University Ashland, OH
95 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
95 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA
97 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
97 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
99 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
100 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
100 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
100 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
100 Blinn College Brenham, TX
104 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
104 Portland State University Portland, OR
106 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
106 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
106 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
109 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
109 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
109 SUNY Cortland Cortland, NY
109 United States Military Academy West Point, NY
113 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
114 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
115 Hunter College New York, NY
Rank College Location
115 Washington State University Pullman, WA
115 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
118 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
118 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
118 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
121 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
122 Kean University Union, NJ
122 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
124 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
124 Duke University Durham, NC
124 University of Delaware Newark, DE
127 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
127 Stanford University Stanford, CA
127 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
130 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
130 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
130 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
133 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
133 Auburn University Auburn, AL
135 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
135 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
135 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
135 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
135 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
140 Utah State University Logan, UT
Rank College Location
140 Iowa State University Ames, IA
140 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
140 The City College of New York New York, NY
140 American University Washington, DC
140 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
140 Clemson University Clemson, SC
140 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
148 Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, CA
148 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
148 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
148 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA
148 University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE
148 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
148 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
155 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
155 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
157 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
157 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
157 Ball State University Muncie, IN
160 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
160 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
160 Towson University Towson, MD
160 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
164 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
164 Texas A&M University - San Antonio San Antonio, TX
Rank College Location
164 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
164 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
164 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
164 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
170 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
170 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
170 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
170 Providence College Providence, RI
174 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
174 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
174 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
174 Boston University Boston, MA
174 Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
174 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
174 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
174 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
182 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
182 Barnard College New York, NY
182 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
182 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
186 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
186 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
186 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
186 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
186 Emory University Atlanta, GA
Rank College Location
186 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
186 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
186 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
194 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
194 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
194 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
194 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
198 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
198 SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY
198 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
198 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
198 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
198 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
198 Sierra College Rocklin, CA
205 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
205 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
205 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
205 Mt. San Jacinto College San Jacinto, CA
209 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
209 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
209 Tufts University Medford, MA
209 University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX
209 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
209 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
209 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
Rank College Location
216 Salem State University Salem, MA
216 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
216 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA
216 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
220 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
220 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
220 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL
220 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
220 Boise State University Boise, ID
220 Citrus College Glendora, CA

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Notes and References

References

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