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2025 Best Anthropology Schools

265 Colleges in the United States
11,105 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,899 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in anthropology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #77 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 265 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of anthropology. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,105 degrees in anthropology annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Anthropology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Anthropology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of anthropology 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 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Anthropology

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In PA

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a degree in anthropology. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 29 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Pennsylvania

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CT
35 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in anthropology needs to look into Yale University. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Yale University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in anthropology has to take a look at University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$32,300 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in anthropology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 220 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles receive $3,401 more than the standard anthropology graduate.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$34,489 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 104 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Anthropology degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis earn a boost of approximately $5,590 above the average earnings of anthropology majors.

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

6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TN
29.6% Growth in Graduates

Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 27 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,661 Median Starting Salary

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 116 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the anthropology program make about $28,661 for their early career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Berkeley

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
14.9% Growth in Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. This university ranks 2nd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 94 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $7,312 more than the typical anthropology grad.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

9
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NC
32 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Duke University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL

Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Northwestern University

11
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI
37 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were roughly 37 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Brown University

12
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MA
53 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 53 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Harvard University

13
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 186 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the anthropology major at University of Florida make $3,072 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Florida

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$31,420 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 149 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Anthropology degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of around $2,521 above the typical earnings of anthropology majors.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Santa Barbara

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. This university ranks 1st out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were approximately 73 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, anthropology degree recipients typically make an average of $24,079 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NY
50 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 50 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.

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

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$32,778 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus make $3,879 more than the average anthropology grad.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. This university ranks 2nd out of 7 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were approximately 53 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn about $22,614 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from George Washington University

19
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$40,071 Median Starting Salary

Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.

There were approximately 33 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the anthropology major at Dartmouth College make $11,172 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College

20
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NJ
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton. This university ranks 1st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Princeton University

21
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$26,934 Median Starting Salary

Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. This university ranks 4th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 33 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn about $26,934 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Boston University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. This university ranks 1st out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 81 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program make around $28,172 for their early career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

23
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
59 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 59 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from New York University

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
21.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 113 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn an average of $28,059 for their early career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Davis

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,543 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. This university ranks 8th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 69 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, anthropology degree recipients generally earn an average of $28,543 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - San Diego

Rest of the Top Best Anthropology Schools

26
27
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
28
29
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
30
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
31
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35
36
37
38
39
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
40
41

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44
45
46
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
47
Bowdoin crest
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
48
49
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
50

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Anthropology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 265 different United States anthropology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Barnard College New York, NY
52 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
53 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
54 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
55 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
56 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
57 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
58 Trinity College Hartford, CT
59 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
60 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
61 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
62 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
63 Bates College Lewiston, ME
64 University of Georgia Athens, GA
65 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
66 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
67 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
68 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
69 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
70 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
71 Creighton University Omaha, NE
71 Haverford College Haverford, PA
73 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
74 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
75 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
76 Fordham University Bronx, NY
77 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
78 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
79 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
80 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
81 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
82 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
83 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
84 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
85 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
86 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
87 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
88 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT

Anthropology by Region

View the Best Anthropology 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 >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 10,607
Medical Anthropology 226
Other Anthropology 117
Cultural Anthropology 66
Physical & Biological Anthropology 53
Forensic Anthropology 36

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 47,809
Political Science & Government 47,686
Sociology 35,816
General Social Sciences 17,338
International Relations & National Security 13,958
Geography & Cartography 8,281
Other Social Sciences 2,116
Urban Studies 1,453
Sociology & Anthropology 520
Archeology 333

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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