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2024 Best Social Sciences Schools

649 Colleges in the United States
205,984 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$36,262 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Sciences is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #5 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 649 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Social Sciences Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 205,984 degrees in social sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools Your choice of social sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

Social Sciences Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

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

The schools below may not offer all types of social sciences 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 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,278 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Chicago is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1278 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Chicago earn a boost of about $15,155 over the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Chicago

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
528 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$71,181 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences has to take a look at Yale University. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were roughly 528 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Yale University get an earnings boost of around $34,920 over the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Yale University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
705 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. This university ranks 1st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 705 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Vanderbilt University earn a boost of approximately $21,386 above the average income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Vanderbilt University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
663 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$51,258 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 663 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Northwestern University get $14,996 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northwestern University

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
871 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$62,382 Median Starting Salary

Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were approximately 871 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Harvard University earn $26,120 more than the standard social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Harvard University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
642 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

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 #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 642 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of approximately $16,338 above the average earnings of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania

7
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
530 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$66,062 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 530 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of around $29,800 above the average earnings of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Duke University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,364 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$74,193 Median Starting Salary

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. This university ranks 1st out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were roughly 1363.9999999999998 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Johns Hopkins University get $37,931 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Johns Hopkins University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
357 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$55,775 Median Starting Salary

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 357 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Stanford University make $19,513 more than the standard social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Stanford University

10
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
266 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. This university ranks 1st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 266 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Rice University receive $51,727 more than the typical social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Rice University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,314 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$50,982 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 1314 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Columbia University in the City of New York make $14,720 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,093 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. This university ranks 4th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 2093 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of about $16,741 over the average earnings of social sciences majors.

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

13
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,193 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,590 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were about 1193 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Georgetown University receive $21,329 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Georgetown University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
349 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$54,898 Median Starting Salary

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

There were about 349 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Princeton University earn $18,636 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Princeton University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
552 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,018 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 552 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from University of Notre Dame receive $10,756 more than the standard social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Notre Dame

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,813 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$37,683 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 2813 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,683.

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

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
375 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$44,185 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 375 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Washington University in St Louis make $7,924 more than the standard social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Washington University in St Louis

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
976 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 976 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,096 above the average income of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Southern California

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
450 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover. This college ranks 1st out of 17 schools for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were roughly 450 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Dartmouth College receive an earnings boost of around $19,098 above the average income of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Dartmouth College

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 91 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Teachers College at Columbia University receive $27,027 more than the standard social sciences grad.

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

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
523 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
4.0% Growth in Graduates

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca. This university ranks 3rd out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 523 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Cornell University earn a boost of around $14,768 above the typical earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Cornell University

22
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
179 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.

There were approximately 179 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Claremont McKenna College earn a boost of around $59,304 above the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Claremont McKenna College

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
995 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$42,285 Median Starting Salary

University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville. This university ranks 1st out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 995 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at University of Virginia - Main Campus earn $6,024 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

24
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
419 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,970 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 418.99999999999994 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Brown University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,708 above the average earnings of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Brown University

25
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
458 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 458 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at Emory University get $2,658 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Emory University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Social Sciences Schools

26
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
27
28
29
30
31
32

33
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA

42

43
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
45
46
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
47
48
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
49
50
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Social Sciences Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 649 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, VA
52Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA
53Lasell UniversityNewton, MA
54Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
55Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
56The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
57Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN
58Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
59Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
60Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
61Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA
62Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, PA
63Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA
64University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
65University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
66Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
67Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
68Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
69University of DelawareNewark, DE
70Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
71Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME
72University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
73Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA
74Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
75William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA
76Trinity CollegeHartford, CT
77The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
78Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
79Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
80Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
81Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
82University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
83University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
84Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
85University of California - RiversideRiverside, CA
86University of IowaIowa City, IA
87George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
88Denison UniversityGranville, OH
89Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
90Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
91Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA
92Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont, CA
93Colby CollegeWaterville, ME
94Georgia Institute of Technology - Main CampusAtlanta, GA
95Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX
96Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
97Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

RankCollegeLocation
98DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
99Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
100University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
101St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, MN
102University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
103Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
104Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY
105University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
106University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
107Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyMonterey, CA
108Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA
109University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
110The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
111Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY
112University of RochesterRochester, NY
113Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
114University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL
115Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
116University of KansasLawrence, KS
117The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
118University of OregonEugene, OR
119College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA
120University of DenverDenver, CO
121Haverford CollegeHaverford, PA
122Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
123Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
124James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
125Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
126Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
127University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
128Webster UniversitySaint Louis, MO
129California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA

Social Sciences by Region

View the Best Social Sciences 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 >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science & Government49,282
Economics49,055
Sociology38,475
General Social Sciences18,997
International Relations & National Security14,306
Anthropology11,415
Geography & Cartography8,526
Other Social Sciences2,414
Urban Studies1,507
Sociology & Anthropology541

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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