2021 Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates
Finding the Best Philosophy School for You
Philosophy is the #60 most popular major in the country with 8,093 bachelor's degrees awarded in 2018-2019.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
For this year's Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates ranking, we looked at 42 colleges that offer a bachelor's in philosophy.
In this ranking, we use early career salaries - salaries 10 years from when a student started college. This is the salary typically earned 4-6 years after graduation, but may be different depending on how long a person takes to complete their degree.
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How Much Do Philosophy Majors Make After Graduation?
After graduation, philosophy majors from schools in the United States earn an average salary of $28,762 per year. Unfortunately, that is 28% less than the average salary of a typical college graduate. However, graduates from the schools below may make more than this.
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2021 Highest Paid Philosophy Grads in the United States
Learn more about the colleges and universities that produce the highest paid philosophy graduates.
Top 25 Best Schools for Highly Paid Philosophy Graduates
The #1 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, philosophy majors make an average salary of $63,600.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from UPenn carry an average student debtload of $21,211. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $248, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Pennsylvania State University - University Park landed the #1 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid philosophy school. Located in the city of University Park, Penn State University Park is a public school with a very large student population.
Philosophy majors at Penn State University Park take out an average of $24,904 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $280.
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Our rankings recognize Princeton University as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
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University of Southern California comes in at #2 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Philosophy majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $44,900.
Philosophy majors at USC take out an average of $17,163 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $195.
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University of Chicago comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Students who receive their bachelor's in philosophy from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $39,300.
Philosophy majors at UChicago take out an average of $20,353 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $246.
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Harvard University comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
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Boston College comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the school is $38,600.
While working on their bachelor's, philosophy majors at Boston College accumulate an average of around $15,045 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $171, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Our rankings recognize St Lawrence University as the #4 school in this year's rankings. St. Lawrence is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Canton.
While working on their bachelor's, philosophy majors at St. Lawrence accumulate an average of around $23,840 in student debt.
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Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid philosophy school. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tempe. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the school is $35,800.
While working on their bachelor's, philosophy majors at ASU - Tempe accumulate an average of around $21,069 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $213.
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The #6 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Arizona State University - Skysong. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Scottsdale. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the school is $35,800.
On average, philosophy graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $21,069 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $213.
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Cornell University earned the #6 spot in our 2021 rankings. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $15,244.
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California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid philosophy school. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, philosophy majors make an average salary of $31,800.
Philosophy majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $21,145 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.
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Georgetown University landed the #7 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid philosophy school. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
On average, philosophy graduates from Georgetown take out $17,871 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree.
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The #8 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - Davis. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis. Students who receive their bachelor's in philosophy from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $31,300.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debtload of $13,904. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $137.
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The #8 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Kenyon College. Located in the town of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from Kenyon carry an average student debtload of $15,715.
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University of Washington - Bothell Campus comes in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in the suburb of Bothell, University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a public school with a medium-sized student population. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, philosophy majors make an average salary of $31,000.
Philosophy majors at University of Washington - Bothell Campus take out an average of $16,848 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $172.
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Brown University comes in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from Brown carry an average student debtload of $16,669.
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Stanford University comes in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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The #10 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public college with a very large student population. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, philosophy majors make an average salary of $31,000.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debtload of $16,848. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $172.
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Our rankings recognize Columbia University in the City of New York as the #11 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
While working on their bachelor's, philosophy majors at Columbia accumulate an average of around $27,699 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $226.
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Our rankings recognize California State University - Long Beach as the #11 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Long Beach, Cal State Long Beach is a public college with a very large student population. Students who receive their bachelor's in philosophy from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $30,400.
The average amount in student loans that philosophy majors at Cal State Long Beach take out while working on their bachelor's is $14,360. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $131.
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Temple University comes in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public school with a fairly large student population. Students who receive their bachelor's in philosophy from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $30,400.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from Temple carry an average student debtload of $24,727. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $267.
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George Washington University comes in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their bachelor's degree, philosophy graduates from GWU carry an average student debtload of $16,952.
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Our rankings recognize The University of Texas at Austin as the #13 school in this year's rankings. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the school is $30,300.
While working on their bachelor's, philosophy majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $22,821 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $252, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Our rankings recognize University of Michigan - Ann Arbor as the #14 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U of Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, philosophy majors make an average salary of $30,200.
On average, philosophy graduates from U of Michigan take out $16,654 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $168.
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Additional Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 42 different United States philosophy schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 57 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
| 58 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 59 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 60 | Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT |
| 61 | Saint Mary’s College of California | Moraga, CA |
| 62 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA |
| 63 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 64 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 65 | Providence College | Providence, RI |
| 67 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 68 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 69 | College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph, MN |
| 70 | Union College New York | Schenectady, NY |
| 71 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 72 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 73 | Manhattan College | Riverdale, NY |
| 74 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 75 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| 76 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 77 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 78 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates award.
Philosophy by Region
View the Highest Paid Philosophy Graduates for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Philosophy
Philosophy is one of 3 different types of Philosophy & Religious Studies programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Philosophy
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Religious Studies | 3,941 |
| Other Philosophy & Religious Studies | 214 |
| General Philosophy & Religious Studies | 124 |
View All Philosophy Related Majors >
Notes and References
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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