2023 Best General Psychology Schools
Finding the Best General Psychology School for You
General Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 141,695 degrees and certificates were awarded to students with this major.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best General Psychology Schools ranking. This report analyzed 1,012 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best General Psychology Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for psychology majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in General Psychology
Our analysis found Williams College to be the best school for general psychology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Williamstown.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Williams take out is $12,150.
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Duke take out is $11,805.
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, psychology majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $19,000 in student debt.
Read full report on General Psychology at University of Notre Dame
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Kenyon College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. Kenyon is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Gambier.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Kenyon take out is $18,987.
Request Information
Out of the 1,012 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Haverford College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Haverford, Haverford is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on General Psychology at Haverford College
Request Information
Elon University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elon.
While working on their degree, psychology majors at Elon accumulate an average of around $21,625 in student debt.
Full General Psychology at Elon University Report
Request Information
Virginia Military Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. VMI is a small public school located in the town of Lexington.
On average, psychology graduates from VMI take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on General Psychology at Virginia Military Institute
Request Information
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general psychology programs. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
Full General Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University Report
Request Information
Bucknell University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Lewisburg.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Bucknell carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Request Information
Colgate University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general psychology students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Colgate carry an average student debtload of $14,284.
Read full report on General Psychology at Colgate University
Request Information
Harvard University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on General Psychology at Harvard University
Request Information
Santa Clara University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from SCU carry an average student debtload of $20,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $657, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full General Psychology at Santa Clara University Report
Request Information
Georgetown University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general psychology programs. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
While working on their degree, psychology majors at Georgetown accumulate an average of around $17,252 in student debt.
Full General Psychology at Georgetown University Report
Request Information
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general psychology students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Request Information
Cornell University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, psychology majors at Cornell accumulate an average of around $16,638 in student debt.
Request Information
With a ranking of #16, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Psychology majors at The Graduate Center take out an average of $19,462 in student loans while working on their egree.
Request Information
College of the Holy Cross came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester.
Psychology majors at Holy Cross take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $478.
Request Information
Northwestern University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, psychology graduates from Northwestern take out $13,833 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on General Psychology at Northwestern University
Request Information
Villanova University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general psychology programs. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Villanova take out is $26,000.
Read full report on General Psychology at Villanova University
Request Information
With a ranking of #20, Rider University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general psychology students. Located in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Rider take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $527.
Request Information
College of Saint Benedict did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general psychology students. It came in at #21 on the list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph.
The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at CSB take out is $27,000.
Request Information
Pillar College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general psychology programs. Pillar is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Newark.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Pillar carry an average student debtload of $36,259.
Read full report on General Psychology at Pillar College
Request Information
Excelsior College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best General Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Albany, Excelsior College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Excelsior College carry an average student debtload of $22,749.
Full General Psychology at Excelsior College Report
Request Information
Southern Methodist University ranked #24 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, psychology majors at SMU accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt.
Full General Psychology at Southern Methodist University Report
Request Information
Dickinson College ranked #25 on this year’s Best General Psychology Schools list. Dickinson is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Carlisle.
After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Dickinson carry an average student debtload of $19,000.
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best General Psychology Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best General Psychology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1012 different United States general psychology schools we analyzed.
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 General Psychology Schools award.
General Psychology by Region
View the Best General Psychology Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More General Psychology Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Psychology
One of 3 majors within the area of study, general psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Psychology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 33,758 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 17,542 |
| Other Psychology | 2,683 |
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 BruceBlaus.
More about our data sources and methodologies.