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2024 Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools

350 Colleges in the United States
8,890 Bachelor's Degrees
$25,469 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in anthropology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #59 out of 363 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 looked at 350 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,890 bachelor's degrees in anthropology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Anthropology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of anthropology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality anthropology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for anthropology students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Anthropology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Anthropology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Anthropology in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in anthropology. 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 for a Bachelor's in Anthropology

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
7 Annual Graduates

Yale University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in anthropology. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Yale University

2
112 Annual Graduates
$25,056 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in anthropology. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn around $25,056 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Washington University in St Louis

3
30 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in anthropology has to check out University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of Chicago

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
16 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in anthropology needs to check out Duke University. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Duke University

5
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Rice University

6
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
24 Annual Graduates

UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of Pennsylvania

7
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
39 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Princeton University

8
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Harvard University

9
243 Annual Graduates
$31,197 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology program at University of California - Los Angeles get $5,728 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Los Angeles

10
96 Annual Graduates
$28,620 Median Starting Salary
$12,949 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology degree program at University of California - Berkeley earn $3,151 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Berkeley

11
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Vanderbilt University

12

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Anthropology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Notre Dame earn a boost of around $3,479 over the typical earnings of anthropology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of Notre Dame

13
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Northwestern University

14
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
53 Annual Graduates
$26,205 Median Starting Salary
$21,515 Median Student Debt

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.

After graduation, anthropology bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $26,205 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Emory University

15
72 Annual Graduates
$27,222 Median Starting Salary
$11,982 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, anthropology bachelor's recipients typically make around $27,222 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

16
56 Annual Graduates
$28,869 Median Starting Salary
$13,885 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Anthropology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of around $3,400 over the typical earnings of anthropology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of Virginia - Main Campus

17
80 Annual Graduates
$29,743 Median Starting Salary
$13,958 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology program at University of California - San Diego get $4,274 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - San Diego

18
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Stanford University

19
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
19 Annual Graduates

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Brown University

20
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
38 Annual Graduates
$44,153 Median Starting Salary
$14,363 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology program at Dartmouth College get $18,684 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Dartmouth College

21
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
24 Annual Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from New York University

22
38 Annual Graduates
$36,176 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology degree program at George Washington University earn $10,707 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from George Washington University

23
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University

24
33 Annual Graduates
$31,599 Median Starting Salary
$19,775 Median Student Debt

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.

Anthropology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison get an earnings boost of about $6,130 above the typical income of anthropology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

25
152 Annual Graduates
$28,935 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

Bachelor's recipients from the anthropology degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara get $3,466 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in anthropology from University of California - Santa Barbara

Rest of the Top Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools

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29
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
30
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
31
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36
37
38
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
39
40
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
41
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT

42
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA

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45
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
46
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
47
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Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 350 different United States anthropology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
52 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
53 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
54 Barnard College New York, NY
55 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
56 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
57 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
58 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
59 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
60 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
61 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
62 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
63 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
64 Creighton University Omaha, NE
65 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
66 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
67 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
68 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
69 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
70 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA

Anthropology by Region

View the Best Anthropology Bachelor's Degree 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

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

Anthropology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 8,615
Medical Anthropology 134
Cultural Anthropology 62
Other Anthropology 51
Physical & Biological Anthropology 28

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 43,812
Economics 39,397
Sociology 29,576
International Relations & National Security 9,158
General Social Sciences 6,378
Geography & Cartography 4,409
Other Social Sciences 1,669
Urban Studies 1,051
Sociology & Anthropology 541
Archeology 201

Notes and References

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