2023 Best History Schools
Finding the Best History School for You
In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned a degree or certificate in history, making the major the #23 most popular in the United States.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best History Schools ranking. This report analyzed 418 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best History Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for history majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in History
Our analysis found Princeton University to be the best school for history students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best History Schools list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at Notre Dame take out is $22,048.
The excellent programs at University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best history schools in the United States. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at UPenn take out is $12,950.
Out of the 418 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at Duke take out is $12,250.
The excellent programs at Yale University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best history schools in the United States. Yale is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Yale carry an average student debtload of $12,000.
Brown University ranked #6 on this year’s Best History Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Brown carry an average student debtload of $13,491.
Williams College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, history majors at Williams accumulate an average of around $12,978 in student debt.
With a ranking of #8, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
Dartmouth College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Hanover.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Dartmouth carry an average student debtload of $16,285.
Amherst College ranked #10 on this year’s Best History Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at Amherst take out is $13,350.
Georgetown University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best History Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Georgetown carry an average student debtload of $14,750.
Northwestern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best History Schools ranking. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.
History majors at Northwestern take out an average of $17,200 in student loans while working on their egree.
College of the Holy Cross landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Located in the city of Worcester, Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Holy Cross carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Wake Forest University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at Wake Forest University take out is $25,000.
Virginia Military Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the distant town of Lexington, VMI is a public school with a small student population.
On average, history graduates from VMI take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Tufts University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best History Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, history graduates from Tufts take out $18,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #17, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, history graduates from American Military University take out $20,854 in student loans while working on their degree.
University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, history graduates from UChicago carry an average student debtload of $13,000.
Vanderbilt University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
The average amount in student loans that history majors at Vanderbilt take out is $18,297.
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
History majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $20,390 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $227.
Centre College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. Located in the distant town of Danville, Centre College of Kentucky is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
History majors at Centre College of Kentucky take out an average of $25,191 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #22, Boston College did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, history graduates from Boston College carry an average student debtload of $18,000.
New York University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best history programs. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
History majors at NYU take out an average of $20,106 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $732.
With a ranking of #24, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for history students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.
After completing their degree, history graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $20,991. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $434, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full History at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
Kenyon College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for history students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the distant town of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Rest of the Top Best History Schools
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best History Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 418 different United States history schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 52 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 53 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
| 54 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 55 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | Kearney, NE |
| 56 | Columbia College | Columbia, MO |
| 57 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 58 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 59 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 60 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 61 | Norwich University | Northfield, VT |
| 62 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for History students that almost earned our Best History Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 64 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 65 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 66 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 67 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 68 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 69 | Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX |
| 70 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 71 | University of Mary Washington | Fredericksburg, VA |
| 72 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 73 | Wabash College | Crawfordsville, IN |
| 74 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 75 | Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX |
| 76 | Kean University | Union, NJ |
| 77 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA |
| 78 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 79 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
| 80 | University of Houston - Clear Lake | Houston, TX |
| 81 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 82 | Oakland University | Rochester Hills, MI |
| 83 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
History by Region
View the Best History Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More History Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to History
History Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| History | 32,731 |
Most Popular Majors Related to History
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Abraham Ortelius.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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