2023 Most Popular Colleges for Social Sciences
1,657
Ranked Colleges
205,984
Degrees Awarded
$37,200
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 205,984 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major” ranking looked at 1,657 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in social sciences.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for social sciences students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Social Sciences
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 2,813 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 1,657 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 2,093 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full UC Berkeley Social Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 2,053 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,848 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UC Irvine
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major. George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,849 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 George Washington University Social Sciences Report
Florida State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 1,691 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Florida State
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,846 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #8. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,517 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Davis Social Sciences Report
East Los Angeles College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. Located in Monterey Park, California, this large public school awarded 1,475 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Sciences at East Los Angeles College
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school awarded 1,465 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of Maryland - College Park
University of California - San Diego landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,404 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full UCSD Social Sciences Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,326 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UW Seattle
University of California - Riverside came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 1,301 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Riverside
New York University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #14. New York University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1,282 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Social Sciences at New York University
Johns Hopkins University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,364 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Full Johns Hopkins University Social Sciences Report
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,272 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of South Florida - Main Campus
With a ranking of #17, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,314 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Social Sciences at Columbia
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 1,247 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,219 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Georgetown University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,193 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Georgetown
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #21. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 1,180 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UMN Twin Cities Social Sciences Report
University of Florida ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 1,318 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of Florida
University of Chicago landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,278 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UChicago
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #24. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 1,153 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at UT Austin
American University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,186 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Social Sciences at The American University
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