by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major” ranking.
Urban Studies is the 209th most popular major in the country with 1,507 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,193 and had an average of $21,495 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major” ranking looked at 127 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their urban studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major” list to help you make the college 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for urban studies students.
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 10 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Barnard College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 20 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Trinity College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major. Trinity Bantams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 17 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Vassar College landed the #4 spot on the list. Vassar College is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 15 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dillard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. Dillard University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 4 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Rhodes College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Rhodes College is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Bryn Mawr College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is a medium-sized school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 36 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Haverford College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking, coming in at #9. Haverford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #10, Trinity University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. This small school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 13 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #11, Hunter College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. Hunter is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 90 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Harris - Stowe State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Harris - Stowe State University is a small public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 3 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Urban Studies at Harris - Stowe State University
Cleveland State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking, coming in at #13. Cleveland State University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
Queens College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. QC is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 63 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. The Graduate Center, CUNY is located in New York, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 ’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of the District of Columbia landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. University of the District of Columbia is a small public school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 7 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Urban Studies at University of the District of Columbia
Worcester State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Worcester State University is a public institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of New Orleans landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. University of New Orleans is a medium-sized public school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 13 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 62 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 11 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Brown University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Norfolk State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 5 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s urban studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Southern California landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Studies Major ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 102 ’s urban studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
