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2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s

799 Ranked Colleges
8,334 Degrees Awarded
$29,438 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor's

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking.

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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,334 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 799 colleges that offer a degree in philosophy. To top this list, a school must have a successful philosophy program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree philosophy students.

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 799 schools in the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 199 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 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.

Read more about Philosophy at University of Pennsylvania

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 155 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of California - Los Angeles

3

Out of the 799 schools in the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #3 spot on the list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 140 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Philosophy Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 101 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UC Berkeley

5
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full USC Philosophy Report

6
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

New York University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full New York University Philosophy Report

7

With a ranking of #7, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Philosophy at UT Austin

8
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 University of Chicago Philosophy Report

9
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’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%. 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 Boston College

10

University of California - Riverside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Riverside

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s philosophy 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%. 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 Philosophy at University of California - Santa Cruz

12

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 62 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.

Full UW - Madison Philosophy Report

12

University of Washington - Bothell Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Bothell, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 62 students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UW Bothell

14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Philosophy at UNC Chapel Hill

15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 60 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 96%.

Full U-M Philosophy Report

15

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 60 bachelors’s philosophy degrees 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 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 Philosophy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

17

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 57 bachelors’s philosophy 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 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Philosophy Report

18

University of California - Davis ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 56 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. 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 more about Philosophy at UC Davis

18

University of Colorado Boulder landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this large public school handed out 56 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full University of Colorado Boulder Philosophy Report

18

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 56 bachelors’s philosophy degrees 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Philosophy at Columbia University in the City of New York

21

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 54 students 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.

Read more about Philosophy at University of California - Irvine

21

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 54 bachelors’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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full ASU - Tempe Philosophy Report

23

Florida International University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Florida International University is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 53 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Philosophy at Florida International University

24
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 University Philosophy Report

25
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

With a ranking of #25, Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s list. Rutgers New Brunswick is a large school located in New Brunswick, New Jersey that handed out 51 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Philosophy at Rutgers New Brunswick

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
29
30
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
31
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
31
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
33
34
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
34
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
36
36
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
36
39
39
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
41
42
Fordham U crest
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
42
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia
42
CUA crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, District of Columbia
45
University of Scranton crest
University of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
45
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
47
48
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
48
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
48
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Well Attended Philosophy Major for a Bachelor’s

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
52University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
52University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC
52Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
52Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX
56University of OregonEugene, OR
56Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA
56Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN
56Lehman CollegeBronx, NY
56Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
56Franciscan University of SteubenvilleSteubenville, OH
62Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
62University of New Mexico - Main CampusAlbuquerque, NM
64University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
64Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
RankCollegeLocation
64University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
64Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
64University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL
69Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA
69Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY
69Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ
69Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH
69University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL
69Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
69Holy Apostles College and SeminaryCromwell, CT
69The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
77California State Polytechnic University - PomonaPomona, CA
77University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
77Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
77University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO
77Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
82Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT
82Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX
82Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ
85Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA
85University of IowaIowa City, IA
85University of Nevada - RenoReno, NV
85Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
85Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
85California State University - NorthridgeNorthridge, CA
RankCollegeLocation
91University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA
91Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, MO
91San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
91Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
91University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
91Furman UniversityGreenville, SC
91University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
91University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
91Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
91Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
101San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
101Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park, CA
101University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA
101University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL
101Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
101Creighton UniversityOmaha, NE
107Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS
107Hobart and William Smith CollegesGeneva, NY
107Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT
107Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY
107George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
107Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
107Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA
114The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TX
114George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
RankCollegeLocation
114University of VermontBurlington, VT
114Duke UniversityDurham, NC
114University of IdahoMoscow, ID
114Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
114Hunter CollegeNew York, NY
114Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA
114University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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