2027 Best History Schools in District of Columbia
History degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools to find the best for history students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for History in District of Columbia
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the history degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in History
Georgetown University tops our 2027 ranking of the best history schools. Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. The six-year graduation rate is 95%. There were roughly 45 history students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their history degree from Georgetown University earn around $49,876 in the first couple years of their career. Georgetown University graduates carry a median of $16,640 in student loans.
Read more about the history program at Georgetown University
George Washington University came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best history schools. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Washington. Roughly 84% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 57 history degrees were awarded at George Washington University in the most recent year. Students who receive their history degree from George Washington University earn around $38,927 in the first couple years of their career. George Washington University graduates carry a median of $23,250 in student loans.
Get the full history details for George Washington University
American University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in history, ranking #3. Located in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit university. About 76% of students finish within six years. American University awarded about 47 history degrees in the most recent data year. History graduates of American University earn a median of $45,713 early in their careers. American University graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans.
See the full history program report for American University
A rank of #4 makes Catholic University Of America one of the top schools for history. Catholic University Of America is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Catholic University Of America graduates 80% of students within six years. There were roughly 25 history students who graduated with this degree at Catholic University Of America in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $65,120 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $26,000 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in history from Catholic University Of America
Howard University came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best history schools. Howard University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. About 70% of students finish within six years. Howard University awarded about 25 history degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their history degree from Howard University earn around $58,495 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $25,498 to complete this degree.
Read more about the history program at Howard University
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 5 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.