by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 545 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 29,576 bachelor's degrees in sociology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of sociology 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level 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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for sociology students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat University of Chicago if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Chicago
It's hard to beat Yale University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Yale University
Rice University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in sociology. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Rice University
It's hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of approximately $11,157 over the average income of sociology graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University receive an earnings boost of approximately $29,276 above the average earnings of sociology graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Duke University
Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of approximately $12,587 above the average income of sociology graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Pennsylvania
Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from Princeton University earn $13,820 more than the typical sociology grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Princeton University
Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Vanderbilt University
Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Bachelor's recipients from the sociology major at Harvard University make $27,196 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Harvard University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program make around $32,675 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York receive $22,293 more than the typical sociology student.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Columbia University in the City of New York
Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Bachelor's recipients from the sociology program at Northwestern University get $10,053 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Northwestern University
Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Stanford University
USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California make $6,021 more than the average sociology graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Southern California
Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Notre Dame
Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of about $4,869 over the average income of sociology majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover.
Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College earn $18,778 more than the average sociology grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Dartmouth College
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the sociology program at University of Wisconsin - Madison earn $6,691 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Washington University in St Louis
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from New York University get an earnings boost of approximately $10,985 above the typical earnings of sociology majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from New York University
Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $32,205.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Cornell University
Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make around $30,166 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Emory University
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the sociology program make about $29,877 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,674.
More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Davis
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 545 different United States sociology schools we analyzed.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Sociology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Sociology | 29,506 |
| Applied/Public Sociology | 40 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 43,812 |
| Economics | 39,397 |
| 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 |
| Archeology | 201 |
