by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Urban Studies/Affairs is the 346th most popular major in the country with 1,507 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major” ranking looked at 127 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies/affairs. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their urban studies/affairs program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 Affairs Major” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stella and Charles Guttman Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major. Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 10 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Stella and Charles Guttman Community College Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Out of the 127 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Barnard College landed the #2 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
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 Affairs Major. Trinity College is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 17 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vassar College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Vassar College is a small school located in Poughkeepsie, New York that handed out 15 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dillard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Dillard University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 4 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #6, Rhodes College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Rhodes College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 10 ’s urban affairs 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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Bryn Mawr College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #7. Bryn Mawr is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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. 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%.
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #8. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus
Haverford College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Haverford College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Trinity University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Trinity University is a small school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 13 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Hunter College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 90 students 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 Affairs Major ranking. Harris - Stowe State University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Harris - Stowe State University
With a ranking of #13, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Cleveland State University Urban Studies/Affairs Report
With a ranking of #14, Queens College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 63 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 57 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of the District of Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #16. University of the District of Columbia is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
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.
Full University of the District of Columbia Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Worcester State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Worcester State
University of New Orleans came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. University of New Orleans is a public institution located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 62 students 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%.
Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #20. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 11 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Tennessee State University Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Brown University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Brown is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Norfolk State University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 5 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Norfolk State University
Elmhurst University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 6 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 Affairs Major ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
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 excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Wheaton College Illinois
University of Southern California ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 102 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
