Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Sociology Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Sociology Schools

623 Colleges
$31,426 Avg Salary
$24,587 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Sociology School for You

Sociology is the #27 most popular major in the country with 38,475 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Sociology Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 623 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Sociology Schools in the United States

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

Top 25 Top Schools in Sociology

Our analysis found Teachers College at Columbia University to be the best school for sociology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Sociology at Teachers College at Columbia University Report

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Claremont McKenna College is a great place for sociology students. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Sociology at Claremont McKenna College

#3

Duke University

Durham, NC

The excellent programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in the United States. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

After completing their degree, sociology graduates from Duke carry an average student debtload of $10,000.

Read full report on Sociology at Duke University

#4

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Williams College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Sociology Schools list. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Sociology at Williams College

#5

Rice University

Houston, TX

The excellent programs at Rice University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best sociology schools in the United States. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston.

Full Sociology at Rice University Report

#6

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

With a ranking of #6, Princeton University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Sociology at Princeton University

#7

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best sociology programs. Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

Full Sociology at Dartmouth College Report

With a ranking of #8, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.

On average, sociology graduates from The Graduate Center take out $21,780 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Sociology at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report

#9

Yale University

New Haven, CT

With a ranking of #9, Yale University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

Read More…

#10

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Sociology at Stanford University

#11

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

With a ranking of #11, Vanderbilt University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Full Sociology at Vanderbilt University Report

#12

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

DePauw University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Schools ranking. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Greencastle.

Read More…

#13

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best sociology programs. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

On average, sociology graduates from Northwestern take out $15,195 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Sociology at Northwestern University

#14

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

With a ranking of #14, University of Notre Dame did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at Notre Dame accumulate an average of around $20,943 in student debt.

Read More…

#15

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

Colgate University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Sociology Schools list. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hamilton.

Read More…

#16

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #16, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Full Sociology at University of Pennsylvania Report

#17

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #17, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s best schools for sociology students. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge.

Full Sociology at Harvard University Report

#18

Pomona College

Claremont, CA

Pomona College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best sociology programs. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

Read More…

#19

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Amherst College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Sociology Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Amherst, Amherst is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Sociology at Amherst College

#20

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best sociology programs. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read More…

University of California - Berkeley came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Sociology Schools ranking. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $13,305 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $264, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Berkeley

#22

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for sociology students. It came in at #22 on the list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

While working on their degree, sociology majors at Wake Forest University accumulate an average of around $19,875 in student debt.

Read full report on Sociology at Wake Forest University

#23

Bates College

Lewiston, ME

Bates College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Sociology Schools list. Located in the small city of Lewiston, Bates is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

#24

Barnard College

New York, NY

Barnard College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Sociology Schools list. Located in the city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that sociology majors at Barnard take out is $18,899.

Read More…

#25

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best sociology programs. Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Brunswick.

Read More…

Rest of the Top 50 Best Sociology Schools

#26

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
#27

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY
#28

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
#29

Georgetown University

Washington, DC
#31

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD
#33

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
#34

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, PA
#35

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#36

Haverford College

Haverford, PA
#37

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA
#38

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
#41

Park University

Parkville, MO
#42

Trinity College

Hartford, CT
#43

Hamilton College

Clinton, NY
#44

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA
#45

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN
#48

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Sociology Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 623 different United States sociology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
52 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
53 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
54 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
55 New York University New York, NY
56 St Mary’s College of Maryland St. Mary’s City, MD
57 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
58 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
59 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
60 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
61 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
62 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
63 Roanoke College Salem, VA
64 Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA
65 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
66 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
67 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
68 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
69 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
70 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
71 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
72 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
73 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
74 Randolph - Macon College Ashland, VA
75 Niagara University Niagara University, NY
76 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
77 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
78 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
79 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
80 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
81 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
82 Emory University Atlanta, GA
83 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA
84 Colby College Waterville, ME
85 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
86 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
87 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
88 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
89 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
90 Tufts University Medford, MA
91 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
92 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
93 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC

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 Sociology Schools award.

Rank College Location
94 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
95 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
96 Winona State University Winona, MN
97 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
98 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
99 Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN
100 Furman University Greenville, SC
101 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
102 Iowa State University Ames, IA
103 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
104 Elon University Elon, NC
105 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
106 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
107 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
108 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
109 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
110 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA
111 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
112 Cabrini University Radnor, PA
113 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
114 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
115 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
116 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
117 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
118 University of Delaware Newark, DE
119 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
120 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
121 Providence College Providence, RI
122 Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA
123 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
124 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA

Sociology by Region

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

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

Sociology is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 49,282
Economics 49,055
General Social Sciences 18,997
International Relations & National Security 14,306
Anthropology 11,415

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 Kontos.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.