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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Library Science

113 Ranked Colleges
6,538 Degrees Awarded
$29,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Library Science Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Library Science Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 6,538 people earned their degree in library science, making the major the 35th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, library science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,990 and had an average of $24,604 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Library Science Major” ranking looked at 113 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in library science. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in library science.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Library Science Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

Out of the 113 schools in the Most Well Attended Library Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #1 spot on the list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 648 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Library Science at San Jose State University

2
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Simmons University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Library Science Major. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Library Science at Simmons

3

Out of the 113 schools in the Most Well Attended Library Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 314 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

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

Full UNT Library Science Report

4

Out of the 113 schools in the Most Well Attended Library Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Woman’s University landed the #4 spot on the list. Texas Woman’s University is a fairly large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 347 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

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

5

Out of the 113 schools in the Most Well Attended Library Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #5 spot on the list. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 198 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Library Science at UWM

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Rutgers University - 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Library Science at Rutgers University - 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 full report on Library Science at Kent State

8

Emporia State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. ESU is a public institution located in Emporia, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 168 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full ESU Library Science Report

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.

Full Clarion University Library Science Report

10
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 169 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Library Science at Wayne State

11

With a ranking of #11, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 128 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Library Science at UNC Greensboro

11

With a ranking of #11, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 128 diplomas to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Library Science at UW Seattle

13
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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. Located in Valdosta, Georgia, this fairly large public school handed out 120 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

Full Valdosta State University Library Science Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. UofSC is a large public school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 121 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Library Science at UofSC

14
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Syracuse University is a large school located in Syracuse, New York that handed out 119 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.

Read full report on Library Science at Syracuse University

16

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

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Full UT Knoxville Library Science Report

17

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 104 degrees to qualified ’s library science students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Library Science at University of Maryland - College Park

18
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. UK is a large school located in Lexington, Kentucky that handed out 99 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Science at UK

19

University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking, coming in at #19. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s library science degrees to 98 students 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 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 more about Library Science at USF Tampa

20
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 119 ’s library science degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Library Science at Southern Miss

21
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

With a ranking of #21, Queens College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.

Full QC Library Science Report

22

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 90 ’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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Library Science Report

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

With a ranking of #23, North Carolina Central University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. 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.

Read full report on Library Science at North Carolina Central University

23

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Library Science Major ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 94 ’s library science degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Science at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

25
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

With a ranking of #25, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. Located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this large public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified ’s library science students 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 Science at The University of Alabama

25

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Library Science Major list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Library Science Report

Notes and References

References

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