2022 Best History Schools
College Factual looked at 567 colleges and universities when compiling its 2022 Best History Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 32,905 degrees in history to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great History School
Your choice of history school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall History School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
History Rankings by Degree Level
The history school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best History Schools. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Featured History Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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BA in History
Gain a rich foundation of knowledge ranging from early history to modern times with this online bachelor's degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University. Learn More > |
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MA in History
The online Master of Arts in History degree program can deepen your understanding of how history is made. Learn More > |
Best Schools for History in the United States
If you aren't 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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools in History
It's hard to beat Yale University if you want to pursue a degree in history. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven. A Best Schools rank of #8 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
There were about 190 history students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the history major at Yale University get $15,007 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in history from Yale University
It's difficult to beat Williams College if you wish to pursue a degree in history. Williams is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Williamstown. This college ranks 3rd out of 72 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were about 39 history students who graduated with this degree at Williams in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Williams College earn $14,507 more than the standard history student.
More information about a degree in history from Williams College
It's difficult to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a degree in history. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Schools rank of #9 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were approximately 73 history students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Duke University make $21,807 more than the standard history graduate.
More information about a degree in history from Duke University
Every student who is interested in history needs to look into Harvard University. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Schools rank of #10 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.
There were approximately 194 history students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Harvard University make $18,407 more than the typical history graduate.
More information about a degree in history from Harvard University
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Schools rank of #13 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
There were roughly 87 history students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of approximately $21,307 over the typical income of history majors.
More information about a degree in history from University of Pennsylvania
Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Schools rank of #6 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.
There were roughly 50 history students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Dartmouth College make $16,807 more than the average history graduate.
More information about a degree in history from Dartmouth College
Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Schools rank of #12 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.
There were about 117 history students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in history from Princeton University
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Schools rank of #15 out of 2,576 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were approximately 73 history students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history degree program at University of Notre Dame earn $9,407 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in history from University of Notre Dame
UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Schools rank of #7 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 98 history students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from University of Chicago earn $2,707 more than the standard history grad.
More information about a degree in history from University of Chicago
Located in the small city of Lewiston, Bates is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 3rd out of 23 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maine.
There were approximately 18 history students who graduated with this degree at Bates in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history program at Bates College make $15,707 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in history from Bates College
Brown is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence. This university ranks 1st out of 10 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.
There were approximately 97 history students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the history program at Brown University make $13,307 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in history from Brown University
Located in the large suburb of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 4th out of 72 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 33 history students who graduated with this degree at Amherst in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from Amherst College
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Schools rank of #3 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were roughly 53 history students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in history from Stanford University
Located in the distant town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 160 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were about 29 history students who graduated with this degree at Colgate in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history program at Colgate University earn $3,007 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in history from Colgate University
Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 73 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 172 history students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Schools rank of #18 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.
There were about 64 history students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from Georgetown University
Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 72 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 47 history students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from Tufts University
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Schools rank of #22 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 248 history students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the history degree program at Columbia University in the City of New York get $12,507 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in history from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Schools rank of #14 out of 2,576 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were roughly 57 history students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history program at Northwestern University earn $7,507 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in history from Northwestern University
Located in the midsize city of Worcester, Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 5th out of 72 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 39 history students who graduated with this degree at Holy Cross in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from College of the Holy Cross receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,607 over the typical earnings of history graduates.
More information about a degree in history from College of the Holy Cross
Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 1st out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were approximately 42 history students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from Rice University
Barnard is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of New York. This college ranks 4th out of 160 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were about 37 history students who graduated with this degree at Barnard in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in history from Barnard College
Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, St. Anselm College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 2nd out of 18 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.
There were approximately 17 history students who graduated with this degree at St. Anselm College in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in history from Saint Anselm College
Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lexington. This university ranks 2nd out of 73 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 28 history students who graduated with this degree at Washington and Lee in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in history from Washington and Lee University
SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara. This university ranks 12th out of 203 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 17 history students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in history from Santa Clara UniversityRest of the Top 50 Best History Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best History Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 567 different United States history schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for History students that almost earned our Best History Schools award.
History by Region
View the Best History Schools for a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
History Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
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History | 32,905 |
View All History Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Abraham Ortelius.
More about our data sources and methodologies.