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Best Psychology Schools

2023 Best Psychology Schools

1,110 Colleges
$35,611 Avg Salary
$25,989 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Psychology School for You

Psychology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 8th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 195,678 degrees and certificates were awarded to students with this major.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Psychology Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 1,110 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Psychology Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for psychology majors pursuing a .

Top 25 Top Schools in Psychology

#1

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

Our analysis found Williams College to be the best school for psychology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, psychology graduates from Williams take out $12,150 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Psychology at Williams College Report

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#2

Duke University

Durham, NC

The excellent programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in the United States. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

On average, psychology graduates from Duke take out $11,805 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The excellent programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best psychology schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#4

Bates College

Lewiston, ME

Out of the 1,110 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bates College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Lewiston, Bates is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Bates carry an average student debtload of $17,381.

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#5

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dartmouth College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Psychology Schools list. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Dartmouth take out is $15,793.

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#6

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best psychology programs. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $19,000.

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#7

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for psychology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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#8

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

Colgate University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Schools ranking. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Hamilton.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Colgate take out is $14,284.

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#9

Kenyon College

Gambier, OH

Kenyon College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Psychology Schools list. Located in the town of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, psychology graduates from Kenyon take out $18,987 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#10

Haverford College

Haverford, PA

With a ranking of #10, Haverford College did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students. Haverford is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Haverford.

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#11

Elon University

Elon, NC

Elon University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Psychology Schools list. Located in the suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Elon carry an average student debtload of $21,625.

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#12

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, VA

Virginia Military Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for psychology students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the distant town of Lexington, VMI is a public college with a small student population.

Psychology majors at VMI take out an average of $20,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#13

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#14

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA

With a ranking of #14, Bucknell University did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students. Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Bucknell take out is $27,000.

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#15

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Yale University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Psychology Schools list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.

On average, psychology graduates from Yale take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Psychology at Yale University Report

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#16

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Psychology Schools list. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Full Psychology at Harvard University Report

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#17

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for psychology students. It came in at #17 on the list. 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, psychology graduates from Georgetown carry an average student debtload of $17,252.

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#18

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, PA

With a ranking of #18, Gettysburg College did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students. Located in the small city of Gettysburg, Gettysburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Gettysburg take out is $25,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $575.

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#19

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best psychology programs. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

After completing their degree, psychology graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $16,638.

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#20

Hamilton College

Clinton, NY

Hamilton College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for psychology students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Clinton, Hamilton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at Hamilton take out is $17,180.

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#21

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA

College of the Holy Cross came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Worcester, Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, psychology majors at Holy Cross accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $478, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Washington University in St Louis landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best psychology programs. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, psychology majors at WUSTL accumulate an average of around $19,220 in student debt.

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#23

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

With a ranking of #23, Amherst College did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students. Located in the suburb of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, psychology graduates from Amherst take out $13,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Psychology at Amherst College Report

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#24

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN

With a ranking of #24, College of Saint Benedict did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph, CSB is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, psychology graduates from CSB take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#25

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that psychology majors at SCU take out is $20,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $657.

Full Psychology at Santa Clara University Report

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Rest of the Top 50 Best Psychology Schools

#26

Excelsior College

Albany, NY
#28

Brown University

Providence, RI
#29

Fielding Graduate University

Santa Barbara, CA
#30

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, NY
#31

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
#32

Pillar College

Newark, NJ
#33

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
#34

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
#35

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA
#36

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA
#37

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, MN
#39

Trinity University

San Antonio, TX
#40

Bethel University Minnesota

Saint Paul, MN
#42

Rice University

Houston, TX
#43

Randolph - Macon College

Ashland, VA
#44

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
#46

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
#47

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, MN
#48

Wartburg College

Waverly, IA

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Psychology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1110 different United States psychology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
52 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
53 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
54 Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN
55 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
56 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
57 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
58 Barnard College New York, NY
59 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
60 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL
61 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
62 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
63 Colby - Sawyer College New London, NH
64 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
65 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC Washington, DC
66 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
67 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL
68 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
69 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
70 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
71 Winona State University Winona, MN
72 Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO
73 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
74 Marian University Fond Du Lac, WI
75 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott Prescott, AZ
76 Iowa State University Ames, IA
77 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
78 Luther College Decorah, IA
79 Fuller Theological Seminary Pasadena, CA
80 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
81 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
82 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
83 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
84 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
85 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
86 McDaniel College Westminster, MD
87 Touro University Worldwide Los Alamitos, CA
88 Carroll University Waukesha, WI
89 Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA
90 Bradley University Peoria, IL
91 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
92 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
93 Franklin College Franklin, IN
94 Moravian College Bethlehem, PA
95 Providence College Providence, RI
96 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
97 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
98 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
99 Endicott College Beverly, MA
100 Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA
101 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
102 University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA
103 Concordia University, Nebraska Seward, NE
104 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
105 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
106 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
107 Connecticut College New London, CT
108 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
109 Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA
110 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
111 University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK
112 Seattle University Seattle, WA
113 Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA
114 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
115 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
116 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
117 Loras College Dubuque, IA
118 University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA
119 Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA
120 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
121 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA
122 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
123 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
124 Boston University Boston, MA
125 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
126 Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR
127 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
128 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
129 Stonehill College Easton, MA
130 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
131 Clarke University Dubuque, IA
132 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
133 Emory University Atlanta, GA
134 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN
135 Linfield University - McMinnville Campus McMinnville, OR
136 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN
137 American University Washington, DC
138 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
139 William James College Newton, MA
140 Norwich University Northfield, VT
141 The Wright Institute Berkeley, CA
142 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
143 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine Irvine, CA
144 Simpson College Indianola, IA
145 Trinity College Hartford, CT
146 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
147 Hartwick College Oneonta, NY
148 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
149 Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL
150 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
151 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Odessa, TX
152 George Washington University Washington, DC
153 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
154 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
155 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
156 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
157 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
158 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
159 Lycoming College Williamsport, PA
160 Tufts University Medford, MA
161 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
162 Teachers College at Columbia University New York, NY
163 Saint Martin’s University Lacey, WA
164 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
165 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
166 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
167 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
168 Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT
169 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
170 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
171 Hope College Holland, MI
172 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
173 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
174 Purdue University Global Indianapolis, IN
175 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
176 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
177 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
178 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
179 Oklahoma City Community College Oklahoma City, OK
180 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
181 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
182 Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN
183 Aurora University Aurora, IL
184 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
185 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
186 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
187 University of Georgia Athens, GA
188 Granite State College Concord, NH
189 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
190 Merced College Merced, CA
191 Montreat College Montreat, NC
192 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
193 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
194 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
195 Kean University Union, NJ
196 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
197 Clemson University Clemson, SC
198 Washington State University Pullman, WA
199 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
200 St Lawrence University Canton, NY
201 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA
202 Wilmington University New Castle, DE
203 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
204 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
205 University of Houston Houston, TX
206 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
207 Wofford College Spartanburg, SC
208 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
209 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
210 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
211 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
212 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
213 Dominican University River Forest, IL
214 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
215 Menlo College Atherton, CA
216 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
217 University of Evansville Evansville, IN
218 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
219 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
220 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
221 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
222 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA

Psychology by Region

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

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

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 33,758
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

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 Nevit Dilmen.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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