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2023 Most Popular Colleges for History

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

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended History Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

History is the 23rd most popular major in the country with 32,731 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 analyzed 1,481 colleges that offered a degree in history. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in history.

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 “Most Well Attended History Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended History Major. Southern New Hampshire University is a large school located in Manchester, New Hampshire that handed out 493 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at Southern New Hampshire University

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 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Full Liberty University History Report

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

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #3 spot on the list. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 398 students 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 Military University

4

Out of the 1,481 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 344 ’s degrees 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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at UCLA

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended History Major. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 287 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full ASU - Skysong History Report

6

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 218 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 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.

Full Columbia History Report

7

University of North Texas ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 191 ’s history degrees 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 University of North Texas

8
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #8. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 178 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 full report on History at Harvard University

9
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Yale University

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CSULB History Report

11

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #11. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 163 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at UW Seattle

12

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #12. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 161 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full UCSB History Report

13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 160 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at U-M

14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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.

Read more about History at University of Virginia - Main Campus

16

With a ranking of #16, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 155 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read full report on History at Ohio State

17

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

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCF History Report

18

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

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about History at UC Berkeley

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 University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 147 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

20

California State University - Sacramento ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 145 ’s history degrees 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 California State University - Sacramento History Report

20

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 145 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Cal State Fullerton History Report

22

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 146 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at The University of Texas at Austin

23

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #23. SHSU is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 147 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at SHSU

24

With a ranking of #24, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major list. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

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

25

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 154 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about History at University of Wisconsin - Madison

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
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
29
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
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
44
47
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:

RankCollegeLocation
51Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
52Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX
53University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
54North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
54University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
56The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
56University of California - IrvineIrvine, CA
56San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
59Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
59University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
59University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
62California State University - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA
62Brown UniversityProvidence, RI
62Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA
62Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
RankCollegeLocation
66University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA
66Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
66Brigham Young University - IdahoRexburg, ID
69University at AlbanyAlbany, NY
69Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
69California State University - FresnoFresno, CA
72Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
73Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
73University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
75University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY
75San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
75Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
78Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL
79Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA
80Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
80Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA
80University of California - San DiegoLa Jolla, CA
80University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
84Norwich UniversityNorthfield, VT
85University of IowaIowa City, IA
85University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
85George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
88Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO
89University of North Carolina at WilmingtonWilmington, NC
89Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
RankCollegeLocation
89Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ
89Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC
93Queens CollegeQueens, NY
93Ashland UniversityAshland, OH
95University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC
95Bakersfield CollegeBakersfield, CA
97Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN
97James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
99California State University - San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA
100University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
100Blinn CollegeBrenham, TX
100Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
100University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA
104Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
104California State University - San MarcosSan Marcos, CA
106University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
106California State University - ChicoChico, CA
106University of OregonEugene, OR
109Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR
109University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
109SUNY CortlandCortland, NY
109United States Military AcademyWest Point, NY
113California State Polytechnic University - PomonaPomona, CA
114Montclair State UniversityMontclair, NJ
115Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
RankCollegeLocation
115Hunter CollegeNew York, NY
115Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
118Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
118The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
118California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA
121West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV
122Kean UniversityUnion, NJ
122Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfield, MO
124Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA
124Duke UniversityDurham, NC
124University of DelawareNewark, DE
127Stanford UniversityStanford, CA
127University of MemphisMemphis, TN
127Ohio University - Athens CampusAthens, OH
130Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH
130Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN
130University of Maryland - Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD
133University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL
133Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL
135University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA
135Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY
135The University of Texas at El PasoEl Paso, TX
135University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
135SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY
140Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
RankCollegeLocation
140Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
140Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
140Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
140American UniversityWashington, DC
140University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO
140The City College of New YorkNew York, NY
140University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL
148The University of West FloridaPensacola, FL
148Mt. San Antonio CollegeWalnut, CA
148Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
148College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA
148University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA
148University of Nebraska at KearneyKearney, NE
148The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
155University of KansasLawrence, KS
155University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO
157California State University - BakersfieldBakersfield, CA
157Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
157East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC
160Towson UniversityTowson, MD
160University of VermontBurlington, VT
160University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
160University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI
164Central Connecticut State UniversityNew Britain, CT
164Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI
RankCollegeLocation
164Texas A&M University - San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
164California State University - StanislausTurlock, CA
164Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL
164United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, MD
170University of KentuckyLexington, KY
170The University of Arizona Global CampusSan Diego, CA
170Providence CollegeProvidence, RI
170University of Massachusetts - BostonBoston, MA
174Boston UniversityBoston, MA
174Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY
174Fullerton CollegeFullerton, CA
174Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park, CA
174University of Missouri - St LouisSaint Louis, MO
174East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN
174University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MS
174Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, VA
182Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
182The College of New JerseyEwing, NJ
182University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN
182San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
186University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
186Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD
186Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA
186University of New Mexico - Main CampusAlbuquerque, NM
186Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
RankCollegeLocation
186Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
186Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC
186The College at BrockportBrockport, NY
194University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY
194California State University - East BayHayward, CA
194California State University - Dominguez HillsCarson, CA
194Kent State University at KentKent, OH
198West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA
198Sierra CollegeRocklin, CA
198SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, NY
198University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
198University of New Hampshire - Main CampusDurham, NH
198Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA
198Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, PA
205Mt. San Jacinto CollegeSan Jacinto, CA
205Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
205Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
205Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
209Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ
209Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
209Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
209Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC
209University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
209University of Houston - Clear LakeHouston, TX
209Riverside City CollegeRiverside, CA
RankCollegeLocation
216University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
216Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
216Salem State UniversitySalem, MA
216Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica, CA
220College of Staten Island CUNYStaten Island, NY
220Indiana University - Purdue University - IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN
220Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL
220Boise State UniversityBoise, ID
220Citrus CollegeGlendora, CA
220Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD

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