2023 Most Popular Colleges for Philosophy
925
Ranked Colleges
10,054
Degrees Awarded
$36,600
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Philosophy Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 10,054 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 83rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,510 and had an average of $21,514 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Philosophy Major” ranking looked at 925 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in philosophy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular philosophy programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Philosophy Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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.
Most Well Attended Philosophy Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for philosophy students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Philosophy
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s philosophy degrees to 206 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full UPenn Philosophy Report
Out of the 925 schools in the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 166 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Philosophy at UCLA
Out of the 925 schools in the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UCSB
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. This fairly large school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 95 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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 full report on Philosophy at Boston College
New York University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 83 degrees to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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%.
Full New York University Philosophy Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 82 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Southern California came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 75 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 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.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Southern California
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 75 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Philosophy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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.
Full UT Austin Philosophy Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking, coming in at #10. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Philosophy at UW - Madison
With a ranking of #12, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 72 ’s philosophy 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Philosophy Report
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking, coming in at #13. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Philosophy at University of Chicago
University of California - Irvine landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 71 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Irvine Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 85%.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Colorado Boulder
University of California - Riverside landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 67 diplomas to qualified ’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Philosophy Report
University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 85%.
Read full report on Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz
Emory University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. Emory University is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
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%. 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 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.
Full Emory Philosophy Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 64 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Philosophy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #20, University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. UW Bothell is located in Bothell, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Philosophy at University of Washington - Bothell Campus
Holy Apostles College and Seminary came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. This small school is located in Cromwell, Connecticut, and it awarded 60 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Holy Apostles College and Seminary Philosophy Report
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking, coming in at #21. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 62 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 ASU - Tempe Philosophy Report
California State University - Long Beach landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Philosophy at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Davis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 58 ’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Davis Philosophy Report
With a ranking of #25, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Full SFSU Philosophy Report
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