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2021 Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

430 Colleges
147,088 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,161 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Social Sciences Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsSocial Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In <nil>, 147,088 bachelor's degrees were awarded to students with this major.

This year's Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 430 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in social sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality social sciences programs as well as strong support for students classified as non-traditional.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.

2021 Best Social Sciences Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for non-traditional students studying social sciences.

Top 25 Social Sciences Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

New York University has taken the #1 spot in this year's social sciences ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. NYU also made our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list, coming in at #7.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. There are approximately 21,614 students at NYU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 8,829 part time students in attendance at NYU.

Read full report on Social Sciences at New York University

2

Our rankings recognize George Washington University as the #2 school in this year's rankings. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington. GWU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

The student loan default rate at GWU is lower than is typical, just 0.4% of students default in three years. 5,340 of GWU students are exclusively distance learners. 8,798 students are part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at George Washington University

3

Columbia University in the City of New York comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. Columbia not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #4 on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

The student loan default rate at Columbia is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 6,172 students take at least one class online at Columbia. 4,854 of Columbia students are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

4

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #4 spot in our 2021 best social sciences schools for non-traditional students. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

About 0.6% of UMN Twin Cities students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,237 students take at least one class online at UMN Twin Cities. There are roughly 13,655 part time students in attendance at UMN Twin Cities.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

5
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Our rankings recognize Georgetown University as the #5 school in this year's rankings. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington. Georgetown also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at Georgetown is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. There are approximately 4,343 students at Georgetown that take at least one class online. 5,553 students are part time.

Full Social Sciences at Georgetown University Report

6

University of California - Berkeley comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population. UC Berkeley also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

About 0.5% of UC Berkeley students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 26,398 students at UC Berkeley that take at least one class online. 4,099 students are part time.

Full Social Sciences at University of California - Berkeley Report

7

The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population. UCLA excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

About 0.7% of UCLA students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 25,859 students take at least one class online at UCLA. 2,161 of UCLA students are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles

8

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best social sciences schools for non-traditional students. UMCP is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of College Park. UMCP excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

About 0.7% of UMCP students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 11,700 students take at least one class online at UMCP. 4,841 students are part time.

Full Social Sciences at University of Maryland - College Park Report

9

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #9 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at UNC Chapel Hill is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,990 students at UNC Chapel Hill that take at least one class online. About 5,151 of the students at UNC Chapel Hill are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10

University of California - Irvine earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population. UC Irvine excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

The student loan default rate at UC Irvine is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 23,448 students take at least one class online at UC Irvine. 1,201 of UC Irvine students are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of California - Irvine

11

University of Virginia - Main Campus earned the #11 spot in our 2021 rankings. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, University of Virginia also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.5% of University of Virginia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 4,175 students at University of Virginia that take at least one class online. 2,758 of University of Virginia students are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Virginia - Main Campus

12

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot in our 2021 best social sciences schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UW - Madison also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at UW - Madison is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 11,375 students take at least one class online at UW - Madison. 4,683 students are part time.

Read More…

13

Cleveland State University landed the #13 spot in our 2021 best social sciences schools for non-traditional students. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Cleveland.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.3%. There are approximately 5,187 students at Cleveland State University that take at least one class online. 4,202 of Cleveland State University students are attending part time.

Read More…

14

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #14 spot in our 2021 best social sciences schools for non-traditional students. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UW Seattle is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.7%. Approximately 8,815 students take at least one class online at UW Seattle. About 9,705 of the students at UW Seattle are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

15
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

The #15 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Vanderbilt University. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Vanderbilt also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at Vanderbilt is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 821 students at Vanderbilt that take at least one class online. 1,196 of Vanderbilt students are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at Vanderbilt University Report

16

University of California - Santa Barbara comes in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSB also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Social Sciences ranking.

The student loan default rate at UCSB is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 3,596 students take at least one class online at UCSB. There are roughly 880 part time students in attendance at UCSB.

Read More…

17

The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population. UT Austin also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

About 0.8% of UT Austin students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 23,198 students take at least one class online at UT Austin. About 3,479 of the students at UT Austin are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Report

18

Johns Hopkins University earned the #18 spot in our 2021 rankings. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore. Johns Hopkins also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at Johns Hopkins is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. 14,847 of Johns Hopkins students are exclusively distance learners. 14,794 students are part time.

Full Social Sciences at Johns Hopkins University Report

19
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Our rankings recognize University of Florida as the #19 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UF also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.9% of UF students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 22,865 students at UF that take at least one class online. About 11,205 of the students at UF are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at University of Florida Report

20
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Our rankings recognize Florida State University as the #20 school in this year's rankings. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Florida State also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Social Sciences ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. Approximately 20,172 students take at least one class online at Florida State. 8,311 of Florida State students are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Florida State University

21

George Mason University earned the #21 spot in our 2021 rankings. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, GMU also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 0.8% of GMU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,490 students at GMU that take at least one class online. 12,712 of GMU students are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at George Mason University Report

22

Binghamton University earned the #22 spot in our 2021 rankings. Binghamton University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Vestal. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Binghamton University also did well on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at Binghamton University is lower than is typical, just 0.7% of students default in three years. There are approximately 1,472 students at Binghamton University that take at least one class online. 1,855 students are part time.

Full Social Sciences at Binghamton University Report

23

Rutgers University - New Brunswick comes in at #23 in this year's ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public school located in the small city of New Brunswick. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rutgers New Brunswick also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Social Sciences ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. There are approximately 30,054 students at Rutgers New Brunswick that take at least one class online. About 7,559 of the students at Rutgers New Brunswick are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

24
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

The #24 spot in this year's ranking belongs to American University. Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The American University also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Social Sciences ranking.

About 0.9% of The American University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 5,283 students take at least one class online at The American University. About 3,612 of the students at The American University are attending part time.

Read full report on Social Sciences at American University

25
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College earned the #25 spot in our 2021 rankings. Boston College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chestnut Hill. Boston College also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Social Sciences list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at Boston College is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 6,590 students at Boston College that take at least one class online. About 1,916 of the students at Boston College are attending part time.

Full Social Sciences at Boston College Report

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
27
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30
31
32

33
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

34
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
35
36
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
37
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
38
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
39
40
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
41

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46
47
48
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50
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional Students badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 430 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
52 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
53 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
54 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
55 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
56 Fordham University Bronx, NY
57 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
58 University of Delaware Newark, DE
59 Portland State University Portland, OR
60 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
61 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
62 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
63 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
64 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for non-traditional students studying Social Sciences that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
65 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
66 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
67 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
68 Towson University Towson, MD
69 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
70 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
71 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
72 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
73 University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX
74 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
75 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
76 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
77 University of North Alabama Florence, AL
78 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
79 Northeastern University Boston, MA
80 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
81 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
82 University of Georgia Athens, GA
83 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
84 Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA
85 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
86 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI

Social Sciences by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Social Sciences colleges in 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

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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