College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2024 Best Psychology Schools

989 Colleges in the United States
195,678 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$35,611 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in psychology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #8 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 989 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for psychology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 195,678 degrees in psychology to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Psychology School

Best Psychology Schools Your choice of psychology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall 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.

Pick Your Psychology Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Psychology Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Psychology in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the psychology degrees they offer, see the list below. 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
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Psychology Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in psychology needs to check out Harvard University. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were approximately 158 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Psychology degree recipients from Harvard University get an earnings boost of approximately $18,316 over the average income of psychology majors.

More information about a degree in psychology from Harvard University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Psychology Degrees Awarded
15.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Notre Dame is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in psychology. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. This university ranks 1st out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 120 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology program at University of Notre Dame earn $3,074 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
462 Psychology Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in psychology. Located in the 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 about 462 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,290.

More information about a degree in psychology from Northwestern University

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Psychology Degrees Awarded
5.3% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 169 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the psychology program at Duke University get $6,499 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in psychology from Duke University

5
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
320 Psychology Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 320 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the psychology program at University of Pennsylvania earn $18,715 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of Pennsylvania

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
264 Psychology Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were roughly 264 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the psychology major at Columbia University in the City of New York get $6,295 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York

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

There were approximately 103 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology major at Georgetown University earn $10,325 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in psychology from Georgetown University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
222 Psychology Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 1st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 222 psychology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. After graduating, psychology degree recipients typically make around $36,104 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in psychology from Washington University in St Louis

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
603 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$53,221 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 roughly 603 psychology students who graduated with this degree at The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology major at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles earn $17,610 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
376 Psychology Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 376 psychology students who graduated with this degree at The Chicago School Chicago Campus in the most recent year we have data available. Psychology degree recipients from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago receive an earnings boost of around $17,610 above the typical earnings of psychology graduates.

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

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
340 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$47,816 Median Starting Salary

Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were about 340 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent data year. Psychology degree recipients from Teachers College at Columbia University earn a boost of around $12,205 above the typical earnings of psychology majors.

More information about a degree in psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
163 Psychology Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 163 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those psychology students who get their degree from University of Chicago make $2,087 more than the typical psychology graduate.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of Chicago

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
540 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$38,780 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 540 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the psychology major at University of Wisconsin - Madison make $3,169 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

14
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 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 29.000000000000004 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Psychology degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University receive an earnings boost of approximately $10,314 over the typical earnings of psychology majors.

More information about a degree in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University

15
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$45,198 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 43 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology degree program at Princeton University earn $9,587 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in psychology from Princeton University

16
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 Psychology Degrees Awarded
9.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 152 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, psychology degree recipients typically earn around $28,292 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University

17
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 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 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were approximately 159 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program earn an average of $29,174 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in psychology from Emory University

18
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
687 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$40,535 Median Starting Salary

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. This university ranks 4th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 687 psychology students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the psychology major at New York University make $4,924 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in psychology from New York University

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
313 Psychology Degrees Awarded
8.9% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 313 psychology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those psychology students who get their degree from University of Southern California earn $10,559 more than the standard psychology graduate.

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

20
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. This university ranks 1st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 78 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Rice 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 $31,474.

More information about a degree in psychology from Rice University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
824 Psychology Degrees Awarded
12.0% 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 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 824 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology degree program at Texas A&M University - College Station make $12,169 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,116 Psychology Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 5th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 1116 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA 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 earnings of $37,572.

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

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
796 Psychology Degrees Awarded
6.3% 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 roughly 796 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program make around $37,220 for their early career.

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

24
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$37,636 Median Starting Salary

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence. This university ranks 1st out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were approximately 73 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Those psychology students who get their degree from Brown University receive $2,025 more than the average psychology graduate.

More information about a degree in psychology from Brown University

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
493 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$44,824 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 493 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent year we have data available. Psychology degree recipients from University of Connecticut earn a boost of approximately $9,213 over the average earnings of psychology graduates.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of Connecticut

Rest of the Top 50 Best Psychology Schools

26
27
28
29
30
31
32

33

34
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
35
36
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
37
38
39
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
40
41

42

43
44
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
45
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
46
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
47
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology crest
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA
48
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, IL
49
49
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

 

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Psychology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 989 different United States psychology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
51 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
52 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
53 William James College Newton, MA
54 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
55 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
56 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
57 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
58 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
59 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
60 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
61 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
62 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
63 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
64 Florida International University Miami, FL
65 Villanova University Villanova, PA
66 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
67 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
68 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
69 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
70 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
71 University of Houston Houston, TX
72 Alliant International University San Diego, CA
73 Williams College Williamstown, MA
74 Fordham University Bronx, NY
75 Providence College Providence, RI
76 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
77 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
78 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
79 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
80 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
81 George Washington University Washington, DC
82 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
83 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
84 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
85 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
86 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
87 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
88 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
89 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
90 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
91 Washington State University Pullman, WA
92 National University San Diego, CA
93 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
94 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
95 University of Denver Denver, CO
96 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
97 Tufts University Medford, MA
98 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
99 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
100 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
101 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
102 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
103 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
104 Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL
105 Amherst College Amherst, MA
106 Fuller Theological Seminary Pasadena, CA
107 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
108 Clemson University Clemson, SC
109 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
110 Northeastern University Boston, MA
111 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
112 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
113 Barnard College New York, NY
114 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
115 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine Anaheim, CA
116 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
117 The Wright Institute Berkeley, CA
118 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
119 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
120 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
121 Clark University Worcester, MA
122 Baylor University Waco, TX
123 Pacific University Forest Grove, OR
124 Seattle University Seattle, WA
125 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
126 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
127 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
128 Queens College Queens, NY
129 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
130 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
131 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
132 Haverford College Haverford, PA
133 Simmons University Boston, MA
134 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
135 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
136 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
137 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
138 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
139 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
140 Towson University Towson, MD
141 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
142 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
143 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
144 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
144 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
146 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
147 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
148 Elon University Elon, NC

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Psychology Schools award.

Rank College Location
149 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
149 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
151 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
152 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
153 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
154 University of North Texas Denton, TX
155 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
156 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
157 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
158 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
159 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
160 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
161 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
162 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
163 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
164 Auburn University Auburn, AL
165 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
166 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
167 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
168 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
169 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
170 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA
171 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
172 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
173 The City College of New York New York, NY
174 Carlos Albizu University - San Juan San Juan, PR
175 American University Washington, DC
176 Hunter College New York, NY
177 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
178 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
179 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
180 Illinois State University Normal, IL
181 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
182 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
183 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
184 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
185 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
186 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
187 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
188 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
189 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL
190 University of Delaware Newark, DE
191 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
192 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
193 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
194 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
195 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
196 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
197 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV

Psychology by Region

View the Best 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 >

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
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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