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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Library & Information Science

77 Ranked Colleges
5,950 Degrees Awarded
$29,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Library Science Major

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Library Science Major” ranking.

Library & Information Science is the 121st most popular major in the country with 5,950 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, library and information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,949 and had an average of $27,472 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Library Science Major” ranking analyzed 77 colleges that offered a degree in library and information science. To top this list, a school must have a successful library and information science program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The library science 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 “Most Well Attended Library Science Major”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Library Science Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for library science students.

1
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 648 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at San Jose State

2
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Simmons University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s library science degrees to 273 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Library & Information Science at Simmons

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Library Science Major. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 314 diplomas to qualified ’s library science 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 full report on Library & Information Science at UNT

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Woman’s University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Library Science Major. TWU is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 347 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at Texas Woman’s University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 198 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

5
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Library Science Major. Rutgers New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 194 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Library & Information Science at Rutgers New Brunswick

7

Kent State University at Kent landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s library science degrees to 173 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Library & Information Science at Kent State University at Kent

8

Emporia State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. ESU is located in Emporia, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Library & Information Science at Emporia State University

9

With a ranking of #9, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. This small school is located in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 163 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Library & Information Science at Clarion University

10
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Wayne State is a large public school situated in Detroit, Michigan. It awarded 169 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Library & Information Science at Wayne State

11

University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 128 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Library & Information Science at UNC Greensboro

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 122 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Library & Information Science at UW Seattle

13
VSU crest
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia

With a ranking of #13, Valdosta State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Valdosta State University is a fairly large school located in Valdosta, Georgia that handed out 120 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Valdosta State University Library & Information Science Report

14

University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 121 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Library & Information Science at University of South Carolina - Columbia

14
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Syracuse is located in Syracuse, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 Syracuse University Library & Information Science Report

16

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 106 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national 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 Library & Information Science at UT Knoxville

17

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 103 degrees to qualified ’s library science 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 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%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at UMCP

18
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Lexington, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s library science degrees to 99 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at University of Kentucky

19

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at University of South Florida - Main Campus

20
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this fairly large public school handed out 119 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Library & Information Science at University of Southern Mississippi

21
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Queens College is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 94 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Queens College Library & Information Science Report

22

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 90 ’s library science 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Library & Information Science at UW - Madison

23
North Carolina Central University crest
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

North Carolina Central University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #23. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

Full North Carolina Central University Library & Information Science Report

23

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #23. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 94 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at IUPUI

25

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 80 ’s library science 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Library & Information Science Report

25
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #25. The University of Alabama is a large public school situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awarded 80 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Library & Information Science at The University of Alabama

Notes and References

References

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