2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Social Sciences School for You
In 2020-2021, 205,984 social sciences students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #6 most popular in the country.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 129 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region
Check out the social sciences programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Social Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in the Southeast Region for social sciences students. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Duke carry an average student debtload of $11,167.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
On average, social sciences graduates from Vanderbilt take out $11,462 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $595.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the distant town of Lexington, Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Washington and Lee accumulate an average of around $23,540 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $709, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem.
The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Wake Forest University take out is $19,955.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, social sciences majors at University of Virginia accumulate an average of around $18,255 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $386.
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With a ranking of #6, William & Mary did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, social sciences majors at William & Mary accumulate an average of around $19,446 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $417, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Florida Southern College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Lakeland, Florida Southern is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Florida Southern take out is $25,375.
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Virginia Tech came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Social Sciences majors at Virginia Tech take out an average of $23,198 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $450.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for social sciences students. It came in at #9 on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out is $15,320. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $202.
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With a ranking of #10, Emory University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
On average, social sciences graduates from Emory take out $20,303 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #11, Sewanee - The University of the South did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Sewanee is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Sewanee.
After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Sewanee carry an average student debtload of $23,899.
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University of Richmond ranked #12 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of University of Richmond, URichmond is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, social sciences graduates from URichmond take out $22,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Roanoke College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salem.
While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Roanoke accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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Furman University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Furman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Greenville.
After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from Furman carry an average student debtload of $26,500.
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Elon University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social sciences programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at Elon take out is $21,313.
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James Madison University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.
On average, social sciences graduates from JMU take out $20,378 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $448, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Citadel Military College of South Carolina landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best social sciences programs. Located in the midsize city of Charleston, The Citadel is a public college with a small student population.
On average, social sciences graduates from The Citadel take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $492, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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American Public University System ranked #18 on this year’s Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, social sciences graduates from American Military University take out $20,447 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #19, Christopher Newport University did quite well on this year’s best schools for social sciences students. Located in the midsize city of Newport News, CNU is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, social sciences majors at CNU accumulate an average of around $24,150 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $427.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Randolph - Macon College | Ashland, VA |
| 21 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 22 | University of Florida-Online | Gainesville, FL |
| 23 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 24 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 25 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
Best Social Sciences Colleges by State
Explore the best social sciences colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 5,208 |
| West Virginia | 788 |
| Mississippi | 722 |
| South Carolina | 1,876 |
| Florida | 8,162 |
| Virginia | 7,636 |
| Arkansas | 897 |
| Alabama | 1,640 |
| Kentucky | 1,344 |
| Georgia | 3,932 |
| Tennessee | 2,210 |
| Louisiana | 1,534 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in the Southeast Region
Social Sciences Related Rankings by Major
Social Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
| Criminology | 11,039 |
| Geography & Cartography | 8,526 |
| Other Social Sciences | 2,414 |
| Urban Studies | 1,507 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 541 |
| Archeology | 339 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 88 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
More about our data sources and methodologies.