2021 Best Colleges for Social Sciences
Approximately 199,292 social sciences degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many choices it can be a daunting task finding the best choice. This year's Best Colleges for Social Sciences ranking analyzed 558 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in social sciences. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 15% of colleges for Social Sciences students.
Featured schools near , edit
Choosing a Great Social Sciences School
Your choice of social sciences school matters. Important measures of a quality social sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 6% of our overall quality ranking while the lowest ranked school on the list is still in the top 8%.
Above Average Earnings After Graduation
Social Sciences graduates from colleges on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. Recent social sciences graduates from U.S. schools with a bachelors degree earned an average of $33,901 in 2017-2018.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Social Sciences students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other social sciences students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized social sciences related accrediting body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for Social Sciences students.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Social Sciences Schools.
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.
Best Schools to Study Social Sciences in the United States
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities to study social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Top 25 Best Social Sciences Colleges
Every student pursuing a degree in social sciences needs to take a look at Claremont McKenna College. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of 23 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.
A favorite major for social sciences undergrads, there were about 182 individuals who completed this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Any student pursuing a degree in social sciences has to look into 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 10 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Yale also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
It is hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to study social sciences. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of 9 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
University of Pennsylvania is one of the most popular universities to study social sciences in the United States with approximately 618 graduates in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the United States for social sciences. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. This university ranks 32nd out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
For those interested in something more advanced, Columbia also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 3 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Harvard also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
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 19 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 998 social sciences individuals who graduated from this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. This university ranks 130th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 1431 social sciences students who graduated from this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of 13 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Brown is a great university overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Brown also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of 12 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
A popular choice for social sciences undergraduates, there were roughly 720 students who completed this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. This university ranks 115th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
For those interested in something more advanced, GWU also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of 15 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.
There were about 440 social sciences individuals who graduated from this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 6 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
A popular major for social sciences undergraduates, there were approximately 357 learners who completed this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 55th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There were about 1219 social sciences students who graduated from this program at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 69th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
For those interested in something more advanced, UC Berkeley also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree.
More… Request Information
Middlebury is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Middlebury. This college ranks 35th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Vermont.
There were approximately 232 social sciences students who graduated from this program at Middlebury in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 65th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 2563 social sciences individuals who graduated from this program at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Colgate is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Hamilton. This university ranks 29th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
A preferred major for social sciences undergraduates, there were approximately 296 students who completed this degree at Colgate in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 2 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Duke also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 117th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
There were roughly 1438 social sciences individuals who graduated from this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 124th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 1181 social sciences individuals who graduated from this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Located in the large city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 77th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
Barnard College is a fairly popular college to study social sciences in the United States with approximately 205 graduations in the most recent year we have data available.
More… Request Information
Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of 1 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Princeton also offers 2 different higher degree levels in social sciences, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
More… Request Information
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 122nd out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
University of California - Irvine is a fairly popular university to study social sciences in the United States with approximately 1584 graduations in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of 24 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were approximately 721 social sciences individuals who graduated from this program at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.
More… Request Information
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. This university ranks 133rd out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
With 1768 individuals who graduated from this program in the most recent year we have data available, University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the most popular universities to study social sciences in the United States.
More… Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for Social Sciences
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Colleges for Social Sciences badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 558 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Best Colleges for Social Sciences award.
Social Sciences by Region
View the Best Colleges for Social Sciences for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Social Sciences
Social Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 48,199 |
| Political Science & Government | 46,598 |
| Sociology | 37,511 |
| General Social Sciences | 19,551 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,810 |
View All Social Sciences Related Majors >
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 269,156 |
| Psychology | 174,455 |
| Communication & Journalism | 116,237 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 37,407 |
| History | 32,643 |
View All Social Sciences Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to AndrГ© KГјnzelmann. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Social Science Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Purdue University
Building on Purdue’s mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that’s tailored to working adults. By opening the doors to adults who need flexibility to fit learning into their busy lives, we make it possible to achieve a high-quality education from the prestigious Purdue University system—completely online ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Grand Canyon University (GCU)
With a spotlight on intellectual creativity and innovation for the 21stcentury, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at GCU provides a job focused education. It blends the study of traditional humanities in a modern context. Through academic inquiry and beyond the box thinking, the college advances our society and its accomplishments ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Northcentral University
Northcentral University (NCU) was founded to provide accessible, high-quality, online graduate degrees to working professionals. As a regionally accredited, online university, NCU serves students worldwide, focusing on Doctoral and Master's degree programs in the Schools of Business and Technology Management, Education, Psychology, and Marriage and Family Sciences ... Learn More > |
Request Info
|
Colorado Technical University (CTU)
CTU could help you connect to what matters most: a powerful professional community, aculty who are real-world professionals, and innovative technology ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
