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2024 Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

627 Colleges in the United States
154,807 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,065 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Sciences is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 627 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 154,807 bachelor's degrees in social sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of social sciences for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. 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 quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host 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 social sciences students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Social Sciences Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools.

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 Social Sciences in the United States

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

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
726 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Chicago

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
353 Annual Graduates

Yale University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Yale University

3
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
618 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt University is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Vanderbilt University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
570 Annual Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in social sciences. 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 social sciences from Northwestern University

5
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
519 Annual Graduates

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

6
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
335 Annual Graduates

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Duke University

7
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
481 Annual Graduates

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

8
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
193 Annual Graduates

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
779 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York

10
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Annual Graduates

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

11
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
733 Annual Graduates

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Georgetown University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,958 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
506 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Notre Dame

14
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
234 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 social sciences from Princeton University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2,611 Annual Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
329 Annual Graduates

WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Washington University in St Louis

17
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
450 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Dartmouth College

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
409 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Cornell University

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
678 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Southern California

20
179 Annual Graduates

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Claremont McKenna College

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 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 social sciences from Johns Hopkins University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
953 Annual Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

23
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
356 Annual Graduates

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

24
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
376 Annual Graduates

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from Emory University

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,218 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a bachelor’s in social sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rest of the Top 50 Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
27
28
29
30
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
31
32

33

34
35
36
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
37
38
39
40
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
41
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

42

43
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
44
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
45
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
46
47
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
48
49
50
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 627 different United States social sciences schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 American University Washington, DC
52 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
53 Barnard College New York, NY
54 Carleton College Northfield, MN
55 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
56 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
57 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
58 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
59 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
60 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
61 Pomona College Claremont, CA
62 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
63 University of Delaware Newark, DE
64 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
65 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
66 Northeastern University Boston, MA
67 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
68 University of Georgia Athens, GA
69 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
70 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
71 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
72 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
73 Trinity College Hartford, CT
74 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
75 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
76 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
77 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
78 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
79 Villanova University Villanova, PA
80 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
81 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
82 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
83 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
84 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
85 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
86 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
87 Denison University Granville, OH
88 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
89 Colby College Waterville, ME
90 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
91 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
92 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
93 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
94 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
95 Fordham University Bronx, NY
96 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
97 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
98 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
99 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
100 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
101 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
102 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
103 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
104 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
105 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
106 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
107 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
108 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
108 Lasell University Newton, MA
109 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
110 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
111 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
112 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
113 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
114 Haverford College Haverford, PA
115 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
116 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
117 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
118 University of Denver Denver, CO
119 Smith College Northampton, MA
120 Florida International University Miami, FL
121 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
122 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
123 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
124 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
125 Utah State University Logan, UT

Social Sciences by Region

View the Best Social Sciences 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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Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 43,812
Economics 39,397
Sociology 29,576
International Relations & National Security 9,158
Anthropology 8,890
General Social Sciences 6,378
Geography & Cartography 4,409
Other Social Sciences 1,669
Urban Studies 1,051
Sociology & Anthropology 541

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Journalism 94,757
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 43,302
English Language & Literature 38,845
History 25,656
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 22,702
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 22,489
Philosophy & Religious Studies 14,685
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 10,378
Theology & Religious Vocations 8,022

Notes and References

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