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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology

183 Ranked Colleges
14,866 Degrees Awarded
$31,832 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Child Development Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Child Development & Psychology is the 57th most popular major in the country with 17,542 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 14,866 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major” ranking analyzed 183 colleges that offered a degree in child development and psychology. That schools that top this list have a program in child development and psychology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major

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

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology

1
Bates crest
Bates College
Lewiston, Maine

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bates College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major. This small school is located in Lewiston, Maine, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s child development 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Bates College

2
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California

Out of the 183 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Pitzer College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at Pitzer College

3
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Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Whitman College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This small school is located in Walla Walla, Washington, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s child development 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 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%.

Full Whitman Child Development & Psychology Report

4
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Out of the 183 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full Lake Forest College Child Development & Psychology Report

5
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Scripps College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Scripps College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major. Scripps is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 32 bachelors’s child development 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Scripps

6
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Cottey College
Nevada, Missouri

With a ranking of #6, Cottey College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This small school is located in Nevada, Missouri, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s child development 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.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Cottey College

7
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Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This small school is located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s child development degrees 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 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Mt. Holyoke

8
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Barnard College
New York, New York

Barnard College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Barnard is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Barnard College

9
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Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Claremont McKenna Child Development & Psychology Report

10
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Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 62 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Wellesley College

11
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Park University
Parkville, Missouri

Park University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Located in Parkville, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 223 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Full Park University Child Development & Psychology Report

12

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #12. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 593 students 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%.

Full University of California - Riverside Child Development & Psychology Report

13
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Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #13, Amherst College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. Amherst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 37 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Amherst

14
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St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

With a ranking of #14, St Olaf College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 74 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development 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 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at St Olaf College

15
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University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #15. University of North Florida is a fairly large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 366 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of North Florida

16

University of California - Davis ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 879 bachelors’s child development 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full University of California - Davis Child Development & Psychology Report

17

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 567 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara

18
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Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Northeastern State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and it awarded 139 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 more about Child Development & Psychology at Northeastern State University

19
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Union College New York
Schenectady, New York

Union College New York came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Union College is a small school located in Schenectady, New York that handed out 38 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Union College New York

20
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

With a ranking of #20, Montclair State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This large school is located in Montclair, New Jersey, and it awarded 386 bachelors’s child development 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%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Montclair State

21
Wabash crest
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana

With a ranking of #21, Wabash College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. Wabash College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Wabash

22
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

With a ranking of #22, Luther College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. Luther is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 32 bachelors’s child development 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%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Luther College

23
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Albion College
Albion, Michigan

With a ranking of #23, Albion College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. Albion College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Albion, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Albion

24
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota

With a ranking of #24, Carleton College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major list. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Carleton College

25
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Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

Vassar College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major ranking. Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 46 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Vassar College Child Development & Psychology Report

Rest of the Best 28 in Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Child Development Major

Not only did these schools make the top 28 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
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Trinity Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
27
28
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Hamilton College
Clinton, New York

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