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2021 Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

269 Colleges
24,256 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,414 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best History Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsIn <nil>, 24,256 people earned their bachelor's in history, making the major the #20 most popular in the United States.

This year's Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking looked at 269 colleges that offer a bachelor's in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the history program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best History Schools for Non-Traditional Students list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.


 

2021 Best History Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional Students.

Top 25 History Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

University of Virginia - Main Campus tops the 2021 list of our schools in the United States that are best for non-traditional history students. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population. University of Virginia also took the #9 spot in our Best Colleges for History rankings.

About 0.5% of University of Virginia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 4,175 students at University of Virginia that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,758 part time students in attendance at University of Virginia.

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2

Our rankings recognize Columbia University in the City of New York as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Columbia also made our Best Colleges for History list, coming in at #4.

The student loan default rate at Columbia is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,172 students at Columbia that take at least one class online. 4,854 of Columbia students are attending part time.

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

3
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

New York University comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. NYU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for History list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

About 0.8% of NYU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,614 students take at least one class online at NYU. 8,829 of NYU students are attending part time.

Full History at New York University Report

4
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary earned the #4 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public college with a medium-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, William & Mary also did well on our Best Colleges for History list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.2%. Approximately 1,359 students take at least one class online at William & Mary. About 1,311 of the students at William & Mary are attending part time.

Full History at William & Mary Report

5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #5 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for History ranking.

The student loan default rate at UNC Chapel Hill is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,990 students at UNC Chapel Hill that take at least one class online. There are roughly 5,151 part time students in attendance at UNC Chapel Hill.

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6

The #6 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Wisconsin - Madison. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison. UW - Madison excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.2%. Approximately 11,375 students take at least one class online at UW - Madison. About 4,683 of the students at UW - Madison are attending part time.

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7

Our rankings recognize George Mason University as the #7 school in this year's rankings. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, GMU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The student loan default rate at GMU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. 12,712 students are part time.

Read full report on History at George Mason University

8

Our rankings recognize University of California - Los Angeles as the #8 school in this year's rankings. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UCLA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The student loan default rate at UCLA is lower than is typical, just 0.7% of students default in three years. Approximately 25,859 students take at least one class online at UCLA. 2,161 of UCLA students are attending part time.

Full History at University of California - Los Angeles Report

9
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Boston College. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Boston College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. Approximately 6,590 students take at least one class online at Boston College. 1,916 students are part time.

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10

George Washington University comes in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. GWU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

About 0.4% of GWU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 5,340 students at GWU are exclusively online. There are roughly 8,798 part time students in attendance at GWU.

Read full report on History at George Washington University

11

Our rankings recognize American Public University System as the #11 school in this year's rankings. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 2.4% of American Military University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 48,298 students at American Military University and they are all exclusively distance learners. About 45,236 of the students at American Military University are attending part time.

Read full report on History at American Public University System

12

The #12 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Fordham University. Fordham U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bronx. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Fordham U also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for History ranking.

The student loan default rate at Fordham U is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. 2,819 of Fordham U students are exclusively distance learners. 3,564 of Fordham U students are attending part time.

Read full report on History at Fordham University

13

Our rankings recognize Southern New Hampshire University as the #13 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The student loan default rate at SNHU is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. 138,672 students at SNHU are exclusively online. There are roughly 102,147 part time students in attendance at SNHU.

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14

University of North Texas comes in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Denton, UNT is a public school with a very large student population.

About 1.8% of UNT students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 20,194 students at UNT that take at least one class online. 12,105 of UNT students are attending part time.

Full History at University of North Texas Report

15

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #15 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. UT Arlington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Arlington.

About 1.4% of UT Arlington students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 17,309 students at UT Arlington are exclusively online. About 22,217 of the students at UT Arlington are attending part time.

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16

Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public college with a very large student population. Rutgers New Brunswick excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

About 1.1% of Rutgers New Brunswick students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 30,054 students at Rutgers New Brunswick that take at least one class online. 7,559 students are part time.

Full History at Rutgers University - New Brunswick Report

17
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI

The #17 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Marquette University. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. Marquette excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

About 0.5% of Marquette students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 2,535 students take at least one class online at Marquette. 1,342 students are part time.

Read full report on History at Marquette University

18
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

American University landed the #18 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The American University also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for History ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. There are approximately 5,283 students at The American University that take at least one class online. 3,612 of The American University students are attending part time.

Read More…

19
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

University of Florida landed the #19 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. UF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Gainesville. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for History ranking.

The student loan default rate at UF is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 22,865 students take at least one class online at UF. About 11,205 of the students at UF are attending part time.

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20

The #20 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.

About 0.8% of Cal State Fullerton students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 25,781 students at Cal State Fullerton that take at least one class online. About 10,634 of the students at Cal State Fullerton are attending part time.

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21

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #21 spot in our 2021 best history schools for non-traditional students. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population. IU Bloomington also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for History list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. There are approximately 18,013 students at IU Bloomington that take at least one class online. 5,256 students are part time.

Read full report on History at Indiana University - Bloomington

22

The #22 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Massachusetts Amherst. UMass Amherst is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UMass Amherst is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The student loan default rate at UMass Amherst is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. 4,105 of UMass Amherst students are exclusively distance learners. 6,786 of UMass Amherst students are attending part time.

Read full report on History at University of Massachusetts Amherst

23

Texas A&M University - College Station comes in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Texas A&M College Station also did well on our Best Colleges for History list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. Approximately 24,343 students take at least one class online at Texas A&M College Station. There are roughly 9,943 part time students in attendance at Texas A&M College Station.

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

24
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University comes in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Florida State also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for History ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. There are approximately 20,172 students at Florida State that take at least one class online. About 8,311 of the students at Florida State are attending part time.

Full History at Florida State University Report

25

The University of Texas at Austin earned the #25 spot in our 2021 rankings. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UT Austin is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for History list.

The student loan default rate at UT Austin is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. Approximately 23,198 students take at least one class online at UT Austin. About 3,479 of the students at UT Austin are attending part time.

Read More…

Rest of the Top Schools for Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
27
28
29
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, MD
30
31
32

33
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for non-traditional students studying History that almost earned our Best History Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
41 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
42 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
43 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
44 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
45 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
46 University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX
47 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
48 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
49 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
50 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
51 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
52 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
53 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA

History by Region

View the best for non-traditional students History colleges in a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 0 majors within the History area of study, History has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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