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2024 Best General Psychology Schools

952 Colleges in the United States
141,695 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$30,326 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #4 in popularity, general psychology is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 952 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Psychology Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 141,695 degrees in general psychology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Psychology School

Best General Psychology Schools The psychology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Psychology rankings. We derive our Best Overall General Psychology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

General Psychology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Psychology
Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology
Master's Degrees in Psychology
Doctor's Degrees in Psychology

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Psychology Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for General Psychology in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of psychology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Psychology

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In MA
62 Psychology Degrees Awarded

Harvard University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in general psychology. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 62 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Harvard University

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$57,366 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for students interested in a degree in general psychology. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 48 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. General Psychology degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of about $27,040 over the average earnings of general psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Pennsylvania

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$34,751 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in general psychology. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 144 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general psychology program at Northwestern University make $4,425 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Northwestern University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Psychology Degrees Awarded
13.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in general psychology. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 97 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Those general psychology students who get their degree from University of Notre Dame make $8,359 more than the typical psychology grad.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Notre Dame

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$42,110 Median Starting Salary
$11,805 Median Student Debt

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 29 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Those general psychology students who get their degree from Duke University receive $11,784 more than the standard psychology grad.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Duke University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
684 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$44,121 Median Starting Salary

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 684 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. General Psychology degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles get an earnings boost of approximately $13,795 above the average income of general psychology majors.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Los Angeles

7
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 Psychology Degrees Awarded
3.9% Growth in Graduates

Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were roughly 103 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. General Psychology degree recipients from Georgetown University receive an earnings boost of around $15,610 above the typical income of general psychology majors.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Georgetown University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
455 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$31,572 Median Starting Salary

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. This university ranks 1st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 455 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $31,572.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
559 Psychology Degrees Awarded
5.4% Growth in Graduates

UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 1st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 559 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general psychology program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities make $4,066 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
188 Psychology Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 188 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those general psychology students who get their degree from University of Southern California earn $4,598 more than the typical psychology student.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Southern California

11
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Psychology Degrees Awarded
11.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 105 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program make an average of $28,292 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Vanderbilt University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$45,925 Median Starting Salary

Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 29 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year. Those general psychology students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University receive $15,599 more than the average psychology grad.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Carnegie Mellon University

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
620 Psychology Degrees Awarded
12.4% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station. This university ranks 3rd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 620 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, psychology degree recipients typically make about $27,509 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station

14
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$29,174 Median Starting Salary

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 146 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $29,174.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Emory University

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
408 Psychology Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Storrs. This university ranks 2nd out of 28 colleges for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were about 408 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year. After graduating, psychology degree recipients generally earn around $32,079 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Connecticut

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
367 Psychology Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 367 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career wages of $28,714.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of California - Irvine

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
288 Psychology Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 288 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, psychology degree recipients usually earn about $29,899 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Virginia - Main Campus

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
438 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$31,788 Median Starting Salary

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 438 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,788.

More information about a degree in general psychology from The University of Texas at Austin

19
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Psychology Degrees Awarded
17.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 78 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. After graduating, psychology degree recipients usually earn about $31,474 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Rice University

20
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$50,081 Median Starting Salary

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. This university ranks 12th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 104 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those general psychology students who get their degree from Santa Clara University earn $19,755 more than the typical psychology graduate.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Santa Clara University

21
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Psychology Degrees Awarded
3.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were about 81 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general psychology major at Cornell University make $5,837 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Cornell University

22
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
300 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$36,974 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 300 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Those general psychology students who get their degree from Boston University earn $6,648 more than the typical psychology grad.

More information about a degree in general psychology from Boston University

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
512 Psychology Degrees Awarded
4.3% Growth in Graduates

UMass Amherst is a very large public university located in the suburb of Amherst. This university ranks 11th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 512 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. General Psychology degree recipients from University of Massachusetts Amherst receive an earnings boost of around $3,029 over the average earnings of general psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Massachusetts Amherst

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$41,377 Median Starting Salary

The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

There were about 109 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general psychology degree program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles get $11,051 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
374 Psychology Degrees Awarded
4.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were roughly 374 general psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $31,658.

More information about a degree in general psychology from University of Maryland - College Park

Rest of the Top 50 Best General Psychology Schools

26
27
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
28
29
30
31
32
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

33
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA

34
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
35
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
35
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
36
37
38
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
39
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
40
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

41

42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49

 

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best General Psychology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 952 different United States general psychology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
51 Florida International University Miami, FL
52 University of Houston Houston, TX
53 Fordham University Bronx, NY
54 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
55 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
56 University of Denver Denver, CO
57 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
58 Williams College Williamstown, MA
59 Providence College Providence, RI
60 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
61 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
62 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
63 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
64 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
65 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
66 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
67 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
68 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
69 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
70 Washington State University Pullman, WA
71 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
72 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
73 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
74 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
75 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
76 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
77 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
78 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
79 Clemson University Clemson, SC
80 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
81 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
82 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
83 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
84 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
85 Baylor University Waco, TX
86 Queens College Queens, NY
87 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
88 Seattle University Seattle, WA
89 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
90 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
91 Palo Alto University Palo Alto, CA
92 Clark University Worcester, MA
93 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
94 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
95 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
96 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
97 Haverford College Haverford, PA
97 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
98 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
99 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
100 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
101 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
102 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
103 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA
104 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
105 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
106 George Washington University Washington, DC
107 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
108 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
109 University of North Texas Denton, TX
110 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
111 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
112 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
113 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
114 Towson University Towson, MD
115 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
116 Elon University Elon, NC
117 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
118 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
119 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
120 Illinois State University Normal, IL
121 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
122 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
123 Simmons University Boston, MA
124 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
125 Hunter College New York, NY
126 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
127 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
128 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
128 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
129 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
130 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
131 American University Washington, DC
132 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
133 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
134 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
135 Auburn University Auburn, AL
136 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
137 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
138 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
139 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
140 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
141 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
141 The City College of New York New York, NY

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for General Psychology students that almost earned our Best General Psychology Schools award.

Rank College Location
143 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
144 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
145 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
146 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
147 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
148 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
149 Northcentral University San Diego, CA
150 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
151 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
152 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
153 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
154 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
155 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
156 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
157 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
158 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
159 University at Albany Albany, NY
160 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
161 Connecticut College New London, CT
162 DePaul University Chicago, IL
163 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
164 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
165 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
166 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
167 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
168 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
169 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
170 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
171 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
172 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
173 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
174 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
175 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
176 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
177 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
178 National University San Diego, CA
179 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
180 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
181 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
182 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
183 California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA
184 Ball State University Muncie, IN
185 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
186 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
187 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
188 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
188 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN
189 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
190 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
190 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL

General Psychology by Region

View the Best General Psychology Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

General Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Psychology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695

View All Psychology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

View All Psychology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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