by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 8th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 195,678 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,611 and had an average of $25,989 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,582 psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major” ranking analyzed 375 colleges that offered a degree in psychology. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in psychology.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree psychology students.
Out of the 375 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Reiss-Davis Graduate Center landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Los-Angeles, California, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major. New Orleans, Louisiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 88 students 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Psychology at The Chicago School Washington DC Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Psychology at The Chicago School Irvine Campus
Out of the 375 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology landed the #5 spot on the list. Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology is a small school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 9 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #6, Pacifica Graduate Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. This small school is located in Carpinteria, California, and it awarded 67 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
William James College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Located in Newton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 82 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #8, The Wright Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Located in Berkeley, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 50 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Saybrook University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Saybrook University is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 22 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #10, Ponce Health Sciences University - East did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Ponce Health Sciences University - East is a small school located in Ponce, that handed out 32 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Full Ponce Health Sciences University - East Psychology Report
Palo Alto University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palo Alto, California. It awarded 91 doctorate’s psychology 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%.
Read full report on Psychology at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 90 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
Fielding Graduate University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Fielding Graduate University is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 doctorate’s psychology degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Read full report on Psychology at Fielding Graduate University
Alliant International University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 206 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 119 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
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. 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 Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Michigan School of Psychology ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Michigan School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Adler University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Adler University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 83 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Carlos Albizu University - San Juan did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking, coming in at #18. Carlos Albizu University - San Juan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Juan, . It awarded 62 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Psychology at Carlos Albizu University - San Juan
Carlos Albizu University - Miami landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Carlos Albizu University - Miami is a small school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 30 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read full report on Psychology at Carlos Albizu University - Miami
With a ranking of #20, Meridian University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Meridian University is a small school located in Petaluma, California that handed out 2 doctorate’s psychology degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern California Seminary landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. Located in El Cajon, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
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.
With a ranking of #22, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. Located in Arecibo, , this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified doctorate’s psychology students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Psychology at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo
University of Holy Cross did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking, coming in at #23. New Orleans, Louisiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s psychology degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
With a ranking of #24, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major list. The Chicago School San Diego Campus is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Psychology at The Chicago School San Diego Campus
California Institute of Integral Studies landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Psychology Major ranking. CIIS is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 35 doctorate’s psychology 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Midwestern University - Glendale | Glendale, AZ |
| 52 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 53 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 54 | University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 55 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 56 | Midwestern University - Downers Grove | Downers Grove, IL |
| 57 | Loma Linda University | Loma Linda, CA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
