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2024 Best Sociology Schools

561 Colleges in the United States
35,696 Sociology Degrees Awarded
Sociology is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #20 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 561 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sociology Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 35,696 degrees in sociology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Sociology School

Best Sociology Schools Your choice of sociology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for sociology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Sociology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Sociology
Bachelor's Degrees in Sociology
Master's Degrees in Sociology
Doctor's Degrees in Sociology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sociology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Sociology in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of sociology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. 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 in Sociology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34th Most Popular In NY
33 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in sociology needs to check out Teachers College at Columbia University. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were roughly 33 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Teachers College at Columbia University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In PA
43 Sociology Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a degree in sociology. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Pennsylvania

3
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CT
40 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Yale University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a 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. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were about 40 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Yale University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86th Most Popular In CA
55 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Stanford University is a good option for students interested in a degree in sociology. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 55 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Stanford University

5
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In TX
40 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.

There were about 40 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Rice University

6
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NC
50 Sociology Degrees Awarded

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 #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 50 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Duke University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In NY
94 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 94 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Columbia University in the City of New York

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NJ
64 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Princeton. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were about 64 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Princeton University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
67 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 67 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Chicago

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
48 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 48 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Northwestern University

11
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In MA
65 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were about 65 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Harvard University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
300 Sociology Degrees Awarded

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. This university ranks 4th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 300 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Berkeley

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TN
48 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. This university ranks 1st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 48 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Vanderbilt University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
713 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 713 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
54 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 54 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Notre Dame

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69th Most Popular In CA
61 Sociology Degrees Awarded

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 61 sociology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Southern California

17
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NH
31 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover. This college ranks 1st out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were roughly 31 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Dartmouth College

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA
253 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 253 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
95 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 95 sociology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

20
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MO

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 23 sociology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Washington University in St Louis

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MD

Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. This university ranks 1st out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 27 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Johns Hopkins University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NY
89 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 89 sociology students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from New York University

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In NY
76 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. This university ranks 3rd out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 76 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Cornell University

24
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In GA
55 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were approximately 55 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sociology from Emory University

25
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
215 Sociology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. This school ranks 2nd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 215 sociology students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sociology from Virginia Tech

Rest of the Top 50 Best Sociology Schools

26
27
28
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
29
30
31
32

33

34
35
36
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
37
38
39
40
41

42

43
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
44
45
46
47
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
47
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
48
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
49

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Sociology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 561 different United States sociology schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
50Amherst CollegeAmherst, MA
51The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
51Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA
52University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
53Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
54Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
55University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
56San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
57University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
58Boston UniversityBoston, MA
59Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
60DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
61Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA
62University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
63University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
64The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
65University of California - RiversideRiverside, CA
66University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
67Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
68Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
69University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL
70Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME
71San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
72George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
73Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
74University of IowaIowa City, IA
75University of DelawareNewark, DE
76Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
77William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA
78California State University - East BayHayward, CA
79Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
80Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
81Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
82Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, PA
83Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
84Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Sociology students that almost earned our Best Sociology Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
85Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
86University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
87California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA
88Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA
89Providence CollegeProvidence, RI
89University of OregonEugene, OR
91Hunter CollegeNew York, NY
92University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
93Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
94California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
95Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
96Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
97Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY
98University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
99Trinity CollegeHartford, CT
100Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY
101Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX
102University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
103Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
104North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
105University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
106California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
107California State University - FullertonFullerton, CA
108American UniversityWashington, DC
109University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND
110University of KansasLawrence, KS
111North Dakota State University - Main CampusFargo, ND
112Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY

Sociology by Region

View the Best Sociology 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

View All Rankings >

Sociology is one of 3 different types of Sociology programs to choose from.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Applied/Public Sociology77
Rural Sociology43

View All Sociology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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