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2023 Best Philosophy Schools

83 Colleges
$30,510 Avg Salary
$21,514 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Philosophy School for You

Philosophy is the #84 most popular major in the country with 10,054 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Philosophy Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 83 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Philosophy Schools in the United States

Check out the philosophy programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Philosophy Schools

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for philosophy students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Philosophy at Duke University Report

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Philosophy Schools list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that philosophy majors at UPenn take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $697.

Full Philosophy at University of Pennsylvania Report

The excellent programs at Catholic University of America helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best philosophy schools in the United States. Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, philosophy majors at CUA accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.

Read More…

#4

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Boston College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Philosophy Schools list. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill.

On average, philosophy graduates from Boston College take out $17,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for philosophy students. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Philosophy majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#6

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Philosophy Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Philosophy majors at Emory take out an average of $23,955 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Philosophy at Emory University Report

#7

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

DePauw University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Philosophy Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for philosophy students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Philosophy majors at UW - Madison take out an average of $19,712 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Philosophy at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#9

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Philosophy Schools list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Philosophy at Vanderbilt University

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #10 on this year’s Best Philosophy Schools list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that philosophy majors at UT Austin take out is $19,986. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $189.

Full Philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin Report

With a ranking of #11, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best schools for philosophy students. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that philosophy majors at ASU - Skysong take out is $23,733.

Read full report on Philosophy at Arizona State University - Skysong

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for philosophy students. It came in at #12 on the list. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Seattle.

On average, philosophy graduates from UW Seattle take out $14,370 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Philosophy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Philosophy Schools award.

Rank College Location
13 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
14 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
15 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
16 University of California - Davis Davis, CA

Philosophy by Region

View the Best Philosophy Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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

Majors Similar to Philosophy

Related Major Annual Graduates
Religious Studies 9,470
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 285
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 184

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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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