50 Best Colleges for Education Majors – 2024
April 15, 2024
A decade ago, many states in the U.S. had a teacher surplus. However, due to burnout (one-third of new teachers leave the profession within five years) and massive declines in enrollment in teacher education programs since 2010, there is today a critical shortage of teachers across the country. Many entering the profession will attend local universities within their home state, which often feed into nearby school districts. However, those seeking to attend education programs with the best national reputations will find our list of Best Colleges for Education most useful. This list includes liberal arts colleges and large public and private universities from every region of the country. This list will be applicable to anyone pursuing certification as an early childhood education, elementary education, or secondary education teacher in 2024.
Methodology
Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for Education Majors.
Best Colleges for Education Majors
Here’s a quick preview of the first ten teacher education institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) Vanderbilt University
2) University of Michigan
3) Northwestern University
4) Duke University
5) New York University
6) University of Wisconsin-Madison
7) Boston College
8) Washington University in St Louis
9) Brown University
10) Swarthmore College
All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the field of teacher education and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best colleges for education majors, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—each school’s:
We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:
- Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
- Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.
Vanderbilt University
- Nashville, TN
Academic Highlights: Four of Vandy’s ten schools cater to undergrads: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Blair School of Music, the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering. In the 2022-23 school year, 87% of course sections contained 19 or fewer students. Of the 70 undergraduate majors, economics, politics and government, and neuroscience are the most popular. The School of Engineering has a strong national reputation as do offerings in biology, economics, education, and music.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 96% of the Class of 2021 were employed or in graduate school. The most commonly entered industry was finance followed by technology, consulting, education, and engineering. Alumni can be found in droves at Capital One, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Company, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Meta. Among 2022 alumni who directly pursued advanced degrees, the majority enrolled at Vanderbilt followed by Columbia, Harvard, Penn, NYU, and Northwestern.
- Enrollment: 7,151 (undergraduate); 6,559 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $89,590
- Median SAT: 1530
- Median ACT: 35
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
University of Michigan
- Ann Arbor, MI
Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.
Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon. Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.
- Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1470
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
Northwestern University
- Evanston, IL
Academic Highlights: Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.
- Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $91,290
- Median SAT: 1530
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 97%
Duke University
- Durham, NC
Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).
Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.
- Enrollment: 6,640
- Cost of Attendance: $85,238
- SAT Range: 1490-1570
- ACT Range: 34-35
- Acceptance Rate: 6%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 97%
New York University
- New York, NY
Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 230 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 58% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. While all schools within NYU have solid reputations, Stern holds the distinction as one of the top undergraduate business programs in the country. For those entering film, dance, drama, or other performing arts, Tisch is as prestigious a place as you can find to study.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2022 grads had landed at their next destination, with 78% employed and 21% in graduate school. The top industries for employment were healthcare (11%), internet and software (9%), finance (8%), and entertainment (8%). Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Amazon. The mean starting salary is $75,336. In 2022, business, arts and sciences, and law school were the most popular grad school destinations.
- Enrollment: 29,401 (undergraduate); 29,711 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $90,222-$96,172
- Median SAT: 1520
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Madison, WI
Academic Highlights: There are 230+ undergraduate majors offered across eight schools and colleges, including the top-ranked School of Business and College of Engineering as well as the College of Letters and Science, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Schools of Nursing, Education, Pharmacy, and Human Ecology. Undergrads can expect a mix of large and small classes, with 44% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. Business (18%), biology (12%), the social sciences (11%), and engineering (10%) are most popular.
Professional Outcomes: In a recent year, 46% of job-seeking grads graduated with an offer. Top employers included UW-Madison, Epic, Kohl’s, Oracle, Deloitte, and UW Health. Across all graduating years, companies employing 250+ alumni include Google, Target, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, PwC, Accenture, and Meta. 28% of recent grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school; the majority stayed at UW–Madison while others headed to Columbia, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon. The university is the top producer of Peace Corps volunteers.
- Enrollment: 37,230 (undergraduate); 12,656 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $28,916 (in-state); $58,912 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1440
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
Boston College
- Chestnut Hill, MA
Academic Highlights: The college offers roughly 60 majors across four schools that award undergraduate degrees. Approximately half of the college’s sections contain nineteen or fewer students. 95% of graduates reported learning how to think critically at BC, and 93% said they learned how to write clearly and effectively. BC offers highly respected programs in communications, psychology, and business through the renowned Carroll School of Management. Other popular and well-regarded majors include economics, biology, and chemistry.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 96% of the Class of 2022 had landed at their next destination. The most favored industries were financial services and real estate (26%), health care/science (20%), and business/consulting (16%). The median starting salary for a 2022 BC grad was $67,000. Eighteen percent of the Class of 2022 entered graduate schools including Brown, Columbia, the University of Chicago, and Yale. Examining the Class of 2022 data, 16% entered law school, and 14% pursued some other type of doctoral degree.
- Enrollment: 9,484
- Cost of Attendance: $86,155
- Average SAT: 1482
- Average ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
Washington University in St. Louis
- St. Louis, MO
Academic Highlights: WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.
Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.
- Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $83,760
- Median SAT: 1530
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 11%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
Brown University
- Providence, RI
Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.
Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.
- Enrollment: 7,639
- Cost of Attendance: $84,828
- Median SAT: 1530
- Median ACT: 35
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- Retention Rate: 99%
- Graduation Rate: 96%
Swarthmore College
- Swarthmore, PA
Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.
Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities. 18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.
- Enrollment: 1,625
- Cost of Attendance: $81,376
- Median SAT: 1500
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
University of Washington – Seattle
- Seattle, WA
Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).
Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.
- Enrollment: 36,872 (undergraduate); 16,211 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $34,554 (in-state); $63,906 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1420
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 48%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of California, Irvine
- Irvine, CA
Academic Highlights: UCI offers eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 56% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 60% of students conduct a research project. The most commonly conferred degrees are the social sciences (16%), business (12%), psychology (11%), and biology (9%). The Samueli School of Engineering has a solid reputation as does the Bren School, the only independent computer science school in the UC system. Programs in public health and biological sciences earn very high marks.
Professional Outcomes: Accounting, aerospace, internet and software, K-12 education, real estate, and retail are among the industries attracting the greatest number of Anteaters. Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Boeing, the Walt Disney Company, Google, EY, and Microsoft. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Kaiser Permanente, Meta, Apple, Edwards Lifesciences, and Deloitte. The median salary is $69,000, with CS grads earning close to $120k right off the bat. UCI has a very strong reputation for premed.
- Enrollment: 28,661 (undergraduate); 7,275 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $40,202 (in-state); $72,776 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: Test Blind
- Median ACT: Test Blind
- Acceptance Rate: 26%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
The College of New Jersey
- Ewing, NJ
Academic Highlights: As one of only eight public colleges in the country to maintain a four-year graduation rate above 75%, TCNJ is in the esteemed company of such institutions as UVA, Michigan, and UNC-Chapel Hill. TCNJ sports a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of twenty-one; 42% of sections contain fewer than 20 students. Sixteen percent of degrees conferred are in education as many attend TCNJ to become teachers but the most popular degree is actually business/marketing (19%), followed by engineering (9%), and health programs (8%).
Professional Outcomes: Checking in with TCNJ grads one year after receiving their degrees, 93% had entered the working world or started an advanced degree. The list of companies employing significant numbers of recent alumni includes Johnson and Johnson, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America, Bloomberg LP, MetLife, EY, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The most frequently attended graduate schools by recent grads included Rutgers, Georgetown, and Stevens Institute of Technology.
- Enrollment: 7,039
- Cost of Attendance: $34,86 (In-State); $40,710 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1250
- Median ACT: 28
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 86%
University of California, Los Angeles
- Los Angeles, CA
Academic Highlights: UCLA offers 125 majors in 100+ academic departments, and more than 60 majors require a capstone experience that results in the creation of a tangible product under the mentorship of faculty members. The most commonly conferred degrees are in the social sciences (25%), biology (16%), psychology (11%), mathematics (8%), and engineering (7%). Departmental rankings are high across the board, especially in computer science, engineering, film, fine and performing arts, mathematics, and political science.
Professional Outcomes: UCLA grads flow most heavily into the research, finance, computer science, and engineering sectors. High numbers of recent grads can be found at Disney, Google, EY, Teach for America, Amazon, and Oracle. Hundreds also can be found at Bloomberg, Deloitte, Mattel, Oracle, and SpaceX. The average starting salary exceeds $55,000. 16% of recent grads enrolled directly in a graduate/professional school, with other CA-based institutions like Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Berkeley, and Loyola Marymount being the most popular.
- Enrollment: 33,040 (undergraduate); 15,010 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $38,517 (in-state); $71,091 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: Test Blind
- Median ACT: Test Blind
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
Colgate University
- Hamilton, NY
Academic Highlights: Fifty-six majors are on tap at Colgate, including all of the expected liberal arts concentrations. With a student-faculty ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 16, Colgate undergraduates work intimately with their instructors. The social sciences account for 35% of all degrees conferred and, within that umbrella, economics, political science, and English are among the most popular and most well-regarded majors.
Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, only a small number of Colgate alumni are still looking for work; in 2022, that group represented less than 2% of the graduating class. A substantial 80% had already landed full-time jobs. Employers hiring the most Colgate grads included BOA, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, EY, Wayfair, and the NIH. 85-95% of law school applicants are accepted into one of their target institutions. The medical school numbers were even more impressive with 100% of graduating seniors gaining acceptance into at least one med school.
- Enrollment: 3,130
- Cost of Attendance: $83,814
- Median SAT: 1470
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
Bowdoin College
- Brunswick, ME
Academic Highlights: Class sizes are small—64% contain fewer than twenty students—and 21% have fewer than ten students. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1. More than half of Bowdoin undergrads report interacting with a professor outside of regular class time at least once per week. The greatest percentage of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (30%), biology (13%), area/ethnic/gender studies (8%), computer science (7%), and mathematics (7%). Economics and government and legal studies are two of the more popular majors within the social sciences.
Professional Outcomes: An examination of three recent years’ worth of outcomes data reveals that one year after graduation, between 73 and 77% of recent grads have found full-time employment, and 15% have gone directly into graduate school. Of those entering graduate school, 48% were enrolled in master’s programs, 23% in PhD programs, 13% in law school, and 8% in med school. The top twenty graduate schools attended, by volume, in the last five years make an exclusive list including six Ivies along with Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.
- Enrollment: 1,915
- Cost of Attendance: $82,600
- Median SAT: 1510
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
Smith College
- Northampton, MA
Academic Highlights: Smith has 50 academic departments and programs. The social sciences are most popular, accounting for 21% of the degrees conferred, with programs in economics and government carrying very strong reputations. Next in line are biology (6%), computer science (5%), English (5%), data science (5%), and engineering science (5%); more than two-fifths of current students are majoring in a STEM field. 19% of undergraduate sections have single-digit enrollments, and 69% of total class sections enroll fewer than 20 students.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 97% of alumnae had found employment. More than 25 alumnae can be found at the US Department of State, Google, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, Fidelity Investments, Deloitte, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon. Within two years of graduating, 40% of alumni had already entered a graduate program, and within ten years, 70% had earned or were working toward an advanced degree. Many Smith women rise to high ranks —twenty years after graduation, 18% of alumnae report holding a chief executive or other executive-level position.
- Enrollment: 2,523 (undergraduate); 350 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $88,980
- Median SAT: 1440
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
Boston University
- Boston, MA
Academic Highlights: In total, the university offers more than 300 programs of study, 100+ of which are distinct undergraduate degrees spread across ten schools/colleges. Many classes at BU are reasonably small—60% contain fewer than twenty students; only 19% contain more than forty. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in social sciences (16%), business/marketing (15%), communications and journalism (15%), biology (11%), engineering (9%), and health professions/related sciences (7%).
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 90% of BU grads have found their way into the world of employment or full-time graduate study. Across all graduating years, companies employing more than 350 BU alums include Google, Oracle, Accenture, IBM, and Amazon Web Services. Of the one-quarter of grads who move directly into graduate school, many are welcomed onto the campuses of elite graduate programs. For example, engineering students found new academic homes at MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and Columbia.
- Enrollment: 18,459
- Cost of Attendance: $86,363
- Median SAT: 1430
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
Wesleyan University
- Middletown, CT
Academic Highlights: With 45 majors and 32 minors, Wes truly has something for everyone. The academic requirements are relatively minimal, giving undergrads a high degree of intellectual freedom. Under 75% of class sections have fewer than twenty students; students rave about the accessible faculty. Research opportunities with professors are plentiful. Offerings in economics, English, film studies, and neuroscience typically receive the most praise from employers/grad schools; accordingly, the social sciences (24%), psychology (17%), and the visual and performing arts (12%) are the most popular.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 66% of 2022 grads had entered employment, with tech/engineering/sciences, education, and arts/entertainment being the three top sectors. The companies employing the highest numbers of recent Wesleyan grads included Google, Epic, Analysis Group, Boston Medical Center, Booz Allen Hamilton, Accenture, and Apple. Graduate school was the next stop for 18% of new alums; enrolling institutions included MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, Temple, and UMass.
- Enrollment: 3,069 (undergraduate); 184 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $89,094
- Median SAT: 1430
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Chapel Hill, NC
Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can choose from 74 bachelor’s degree programs in a number of schools and colleges, the largest of which is the College of Arts & Sciences. 44% of classes have a student enrollment under 20. The social sciences (15%), biology (12%), media/journalism (9%), computer science (8%), and business (6%) are the areas in which the most degrees are conferred. The Kenan-Flager Business School is internationally renowned and requires separate admission. Other strong programs include those in chemistry, journalism, psychology, and political science.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Chapel Hill, 97% of 2022 grads had entered employment, military service, or graduate school. Among the for-profit companies that hire the most graduates are Wells Fargo, IBM, Cisco, Deloitte, EY, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. In the nonprofit sector, a large number of alumni are employed by AmeriCorps, NIH, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. The average starting salary is $70,619. 18% of 2022 grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school.
- Enrollment: 20,210 (undergraduate); 11,739 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $27,036 (in-state); $60,040 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1450
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
Arizona State University
- Tempe, AZ
Academic Highlights: The faculty-to-student ratio is a fairly high 19:1, but not all classes call for stadium seating. In fact, 40% of course sections seat fewer than twenty students. Business is the concentration in which 22% of total bachelor’s degrees are conferred. Engineering (9%), biology (9%), and the health professions (7%) are the next three most popular. The WP Carey School of Business offers many highly ranked programs as does the Fulton Schools of Engineering.
Professional Outcomes: A healthy 83% percent of ASU graduates looking for work are employed within six months of earning their degrees. The median salary for an ASU grad is roughly $55,000. Among the school’s top fifty employers are Amazon, Apple, Intel, The Vanguard Group, and Walt Disney Company. Approximately one-fifth of recent grads enrolled in graduate school. Similar to employment, the size and scope of the university lead to many graduate pathways. Many grads continue at ASU itself, but some continue at various prestigious institutions.
- Enrollment: 65,492
- Cost of Attendance: $28,142 (in-state); $48,284 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1250
- Median ACT: 23
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
Wellesley College
- Wellesley, MA
Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Thirty-six percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 77% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound. Most programs possess sterling reputations, including chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, and political science, but the Department of Economics shines most brightly, leading many into PhD programs and high-profile careers. Economics, biology, and computer science are the most frequently conferred degrees.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2022 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 76% of grads who were employed, 24% were working in the finance/consulting/business fields, 17% in education, 17% in internet and technology & engineering, and 15% in healthcare/life sciences. Top employers included JPMorgan Chase, Google, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Goldman Sachs. The average starting salary for one recent cohort was a solid $63k. Of the 20% of 2022 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, MIT, and Emory.
- Enrollment: 2,447
- Cost of Attendance: $84,240
- Median SAT: 1490
- Median ACT: 34
- Acceptance Rate: 14%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
Colby College
- Waterville, ME
Academic Highlights: Offering 56 majors and 35 minors, Colby provides a classic liberal arts education with a high degree of flexibility and room for independent intellectual pursuits. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is put to good instructional use as roughly two-thirds of courses have fewer than 19 students. Being a true liberal arts school, Colby has strengths across many disciplines, but biology, economics, and global studies draw especially high praise. These programs along with government and environmental science attract the highest number of students.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had either obtained jobs or were enrolled full-time in a graduate program. Eighteen percent of graduates enter the financial industry and large numbers also start careers in education, with government/nonprofit, STEM, and healthcare next in popularity. The Medical school acceptance rate over the past five years is 68%, nearly double the national average.
- Enrollment: 2,299
- Cost of Attendance: $86,720
- Average SAT: 1485
- Average ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 8%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
Vassar College
- Poughkeepsie, NY
Academic Highlights: Vassar students have the choice of 50 majors and only three foundational curricular mandates, which means that there is plenty of room to explore electives and intellectual passions. A 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 17 students, and 23% of all sections have an enrollment of nine or fewer. Professors are extremely available outside the classroom. The most popular majors are in the social sciences, biology, the visual and performing arts, foreign languages, and psychology.
Professional Outcomes: 93% of alums enjoy positive outcomes within six months of graduation, with 20% enrolling directly in a graduate or professional degree program. A solid number land at competitive companies like Google, Meta, EY, Deloitte, Microsoft, Citi, and Amazon. Elite universities such as Harvard, Penn, NYU, and Columbia are also among the top employers of former students, many of whom earn advanced degrees and enter academia. The school is one of the top 15 PhD producers.
- Enrollment: 2,459
- Cost of Attendance: $85,220
- Median SAT: 1480
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
- Minneapolis, MN
Academic Highlights: There are 150 majors available across eight freshman-admitting undergraduate colleges. 65% of class sections enroll 29 or fewer students. The most commonly conferred degrees are in biology (13%), business & marketing (11%), engineering (10%), the social sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and psychology (8%). The College of Science and Engineering and the Carlson School of Management have strong national reputations, and the chemistry, economics, psychology, and political science departments are also well-regarded.
Professional Outcomes: The top seven companies snatching up the largest number of recent grads are all companies headquartered in the state of Minnesota: Medtronic, Target, 3M, United Health Group, US Bank, and Cargill. Google, Apple, and Meta all employ hundreds of Twin Cities alumni. The mean starting salary for recent grads was $50k. With 130 graduate programs in science, art, engineering, agriculture, medicine, and the humanities, the University of Minnesota retains many of its graduates as they pursue their next degrees.
- Enrollment: 39,248 (undergraduate); 15,707 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $33,032-$35,632 (in-state); $54,446-$57,046
- Median SAT: 1370
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 75%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
Middlebury College
- Middlebury, VT
Academic Highlights: Midd offers 50 departments and programs in which to major and minor. The school’s 9:1 student-faculty ratio allows 100% of courses to be taught by professors, not graduate assistants. Most classes are small; the mean class size is 16, and 14% of sections contain fewer than ten students. Middlebury is renowned for its Language Department as well as its programs in economics and international studies. The college has a robust international program (75 programs in 40 countries); over 50% of juniors take a semester abroad.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 81% of the Class of 2022 had landed jobs and 12% were in graduate school. The most commonly held jobs fell under the categories of financial services (19%), consulting (14%), science and healthcare (14%), and media and technology (12%). Many Middlebury grads now enter tech-related fields; Google and Facebook are two of the leading employers alongside Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Amazon, and JP Morgan. More than 100 alumni work in the US State Department.
- Enrollment: 2,773 (undergraduate); 70 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $89,850
- Median SAT: 1460
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 13%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
University of Delaware
- Newark, DE
Academic Highlights: The University of Delaware offers 150 bachelor’s degree programs. Nearly one-third of students pursue a degree in either business (21%) or engineering (9%), two of the school’s highest-ranked departments. Nursing is popular, with 11% of degrees conferred being in the health professions. Other frequently pursued majors include the social sciences (10%), biology (7%), and education (5%). 62% of courses enroll fewer than 30 students. The university also has the oldest study abroad program in the nation, with 30% of undergrads participating.
Professional Outcomes: 94% of Class of 2022 grads quickly found their next destination. 66% were employed, with 74% taking jobs at for-profit companies, 16% at nonprofits, 7% in K-12 education, and 4% with a government entity. The greatest number of newly minted alums were hired by JPMorgan Chase & Co., KPMG, EY, ChristianaCare, and Deloitte. The median starting salary for this cohort was $62,000. 28% immediately pursued an advanced degree, with 62% entering master’s programs, 20% entering a professional program, and 9% beginning a PhD.
- Enrollment: 18,066 (undergraduate); 4,557 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $33,718 (undergraduate); $57,358 (graduate)
- Median SAT: 1280
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 72%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 82%
The Ohio State University — Columbus
- Columbus, OH
Academic Highlights: There are 200+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. Business sees the greatest percentage of degrees conferred at 18% followed by engineering (15%), health professions (10%), and the social sciences (9%). It makes sense that so many flock to the business and engineering schools as they are among the highest-rated undergraduate programs in their respective disciplines. 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and approximately 20% of students gain research experience.
Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 56% of Class of 2022 graduates were entering the world of employment while 17% were already accepted into graduate or professional school. Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, more than 1,000 are employed by Amazon, and more than 600 work for Google and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU’s own programs.
- Enrollment: 45,728 (undergraduate); 14,318 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $27,241 (in-state); $52,747 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1340-1450
- Median ACT: 29-32
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
University of Georgia
- Athens, GA
Academic Highlights: UGA boasts seventeen distinct colleges and schools that offer 125+ majors. Business is the most commonly conferred undergrad degree, accounting for 29% of diplomas earned. It is followed by biology (10%), social sciences (8%), communication & journalism (8%), and psychology (7%). Top-ranked programs include animal science, business, communications, and public and international affairs. 49% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and no matter your major, UGA encourages you to conduct research with a member of the school’s faculty.
Professional Outcomes: 96% of the Class of 2022 was employed or continuing their education six months after graduation. Popular employers include Accenture, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Walt Disney Company, and Deloitte. Salaries vary between colleges; engineering grads had a median starting salary of $65k while journalism and communication grads reported a $50k median. In 2022, 24% of graduates enrolled directly into a graduate/professional degree program, with the most commonly attended schools including Columbia, Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, Penn, and UVA.
- Enrollment: 30,714 (undergraduate); 9,893 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $28,142 (in-state); $48,538 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1310
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 43%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
University of Florida
- Gainesville, FL
Academic Highlights: With 16 colleges and 100 undergraduate majors to choose from, educational experiences are exceptionally diverse. The Warrington College of Business and the Wertheim College of Engineering are highly respected, so it’s no surprise that those two programs confer the greatest percentage of degrees—12% and 14%, respectively. Biology (11%), the social sciences (11%), and health professions (8%) are next in popularity. 53% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and 33% of students partake in an undergraduate research experience.
Professional Outcomes: By graduation day, 66% of the Class of 2022 had already procured a first job. The top occupational areas were engineering (13%), health care (13%), computer science (5%), and marketing (4%). 200+ Gator alumni can be found at top corporations like Google, EY, Raymond James, Deloitte, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and PwC. The average salary for all 2022 grads was $69k, with a high of $100k for computer science majors. Of those pursuing advanced degrees, a master’s degree was the most popular pursuit (63%) followed by law school (11%).
- Enrollment: 34,552 (undergraduate); 20,659 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $23,530 (in-state); $45,808 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1400
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
University of Connecticut
- Storrs, CT
Academic Highlights: UConn is home to fourteen schools and colleges as well as 115+ undergraduate majors. The four most commonly conferred undergraduate degrees are in business (15%), engineering (12%), the social sciences (12%), and health professions/nursing (12%). In terms of prestige and national reputation, programs in business, pharmacy, and nursing carry a good deal of weight. The school also does a nice job of creating a balance of classroom experiences—53% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students and only 18% contain more than fifty.
Professional Outcomes: 90% of the Class of 2022 experienced a positive outcome (job, grad school, military, volunteer position) within six months of earning their degrees. Among the 59% who found employment, the largest numbers landed at Aetna, Cigna, PwC, The Hartford, Travelers, and Raytheon Technologies; the median starting salary was $62,400. Massive numbers of alumni are employed by Pratt & Whitney, Pfizer, IBM, and Deloitte. 30% of 2022 graduates immediately entered a graduate or professional program, with many choosing to stay at UConn.
- Enrollment: 18,983 (undergraduate); 8,020 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $41,606 (in-state); $64,478 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1340
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 55%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
University of Oregon
- Eugene, OR
Academic Highlights: Over 80 degree programs are offered, and students flock in large numbers to the social sciences as 19% of degrees conferred fall under this umbrella. The next most popular academic pursuits are communication/journalism (14%), business (14%), psychology (9%), biology (8%) and the visual and performing arts (7%). The Lundquist College of Business and the College of Education have strong national reputations. The median class size is 20 students (37% contain less than that), and an impressive 80% of undergraduate students engage in some type of research activity.
Professional Outcomes: Members of the Class of 2022 already had their next destination lined up at graduation with 78% already employed or entering graduate school. For 73% of that group, their outcomes related directly to the degree that they had just completed. More than 1,000 Oregon alumni work for Nike, and hundreds of others occupy offices at Intel, Amazon, Microsoft, Adidas, Google, Apple, and Salesforce. The median starting salary for a 2022 graduate was $51,000.
- Enrollment: 19,565 (undergraduate); 3,598 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $35,721 (in-state); $64,302 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1260
- Median ACT: 27
- Acceptance Rate: 86%
- Retention Rate: 86%
- Graduation Rate: 73%
Florida State University
- Tallahassee, FL
Academic Highlights: A wide range of baccalaureate degrees—103 to be precise—are available at FSU. The student-to-faculty is a 17:1, which translates into somewhat larger class sizes. Ten percent of sections contain more than fifty students, and 4% have more than 100. However, that is balanced by the 66% of sections that contain fewer than twenty students. Twenty-three percent of degrees conferred fall under the business umbrella. The social sciences (15%), psychology (8%), biology (8%), and homeland security (6%) are next in popularity.
Professional Outcomes: Eighty-three percent of job-seeking Seminole grads receive at least one offer of employment within three months of graduation. The top five sectors employing 2022 grads are (in order) finance, technology, marketing, health, and engineering. Roughly one-third of 2022 Florida State grads elected to immediately pursue admission into an advanced degree program; 75% of those who apply receive at least one acceptance. A typical graduating class sees over 100 students accepted into medical schools and over 200 accepted into law schools.
- Enrollment: 32,936
- Cost of Attendance: $25,762 (In-State); $39,692 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1300
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 25%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Champaign-Urbana, IL
Academic Highlights: Eight of UIUC’s fifteen schools cater to undergraduate students. There are 150 academic programs offered, including those at the acclaimed Grainger College of Engineering and Gies College of Business. In sheer volume of degrees conferred, engineering and business/marketing are tied at 19%, followed by the social sciences (9%) and psychology (6%). 39% of sections are capped at 19 students. 29% of undergraduates work with a faculty member on a research project; another 22% have some type of fieldwork, practicum, or clinical experience.
Professional Outcomes: 95% of the members of the Class of 2022 landed at their next destination within six months of graduation, with 38% matriculating directly into an advanced degree program. 57% were employed full-time; the most popular sectors were finance, consulting, healthcare, electronics, and education. Corporations landing the most recent Illini grads were KPMG, Deloitte, Epic Systems, EY, PwC, and Amazon. The average salary across all Class of 2022 majors was an extremely solid $75,000.
- Enrollment: 35,120 (undergraduate); 21,796 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $35,926-$41,190 (in-state); $55,386-$63,290 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1440
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 79%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
Michigan State University
- East Lansing, MI
Academic Highlights: This highly regarded state institution boasts over 200 programs—undergraduate, graduate, and professional—across 17 degree-granting colleges. A 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio rates in the average range for public universities of MSU’s size and scope. Class sizes are a genuine mix of small seminars and giant lecture halls. 16% of the degrees conferred in 2022 were in the business/marketing category. The next most common degrees were earned in communication/journalism (12%), engineering (11%), and the social sciences (8%).
Professional Outcomes: Within months of strutting across the graduation stage, 56% of Class of 2022 members had landed full-time employment, 27% were pursuing advanced degrees, and 6% were still looking for a job. The top employers of this group included big names like General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Deloitte, Epic Systems, Target, PepsiCo, and Microsoft. The median starting salary earned was $60,000. Among the grads schools favored by recent alumni are the University of Michigan, New York University, Columbia University, and Boston University.
- Enrollment: 39,201
- Cost of Attendance: $27,805 (In-State); $55,189 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1220
- Median ACT: 27
- Acceptance Rate:
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 82%
University of Maryland, College Park
- College Park, MD
Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges. 18% of degrees are conferred in computer science, followed by the social sciences (13%), with criminology, government and politics, and economics being the most popular majors. Engineering (13%), business (11%), and biology (8%) are next in line. The School of Business, the School of Engineering, and the College of Journalism are all top-ranked, as are programs in computer science and criminology. 46% of sections enroll fewer than twenty students.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 96% of Class of 2022 grads had positive outcomes. 67% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Amazon, and EY. Meta, Apple, and Google employ more than 200 alumni each. The mid-50% salary range for 2022 grads was $55k-$83k. 21% of the Class of 2022 headed directly to graduate and professional school; 11% entered doctoral programs, 5% entered medical school, and 5% entered law school.
- Enrollment: 30,353 (undergraduate); 10,439 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $31,540 (in-state); $60,918 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1440
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 84%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
The College of Wooster
- Wooster, OH
Academic Highlights: The College of Wooster receives high marks across the board in undergraduate teaching, senior capstone, undergraduate research, innovation, and value. With no graduate students, the faculty is wholly committed to undergraduate education and has an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The most conferred degrees last year were in the social sciences (19%) and biology (17%). Next in popularity were psychology (6%), the physical sciences (6%), mathematics (6%), journalism (6%), visual/performing arts (6%), and computer science (5%).
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving Wooster, 96% of job-seeking individuals had landed a job, and 72% were employed in their preferred field. Organizations hiring at least one recent grad include Bank of America, Ernst & Young, the FBI, Morgan Stanley, and Northrop Grumman. Over the past few years, 97% of graduate school applicants were accepted into their top-choice institution. Among recent grads, 54% left to pursue a master’s degree, 27% entered doctoral programs, 8% matriculated into medical school, and 3% began law school.
- Enrollment: 1,967
- Cost of Attendance: $73,550
- Median SAT: 1350
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 56%
- Retention Rate: 84%
- Graduation Rate: 74%
Indiana University
- Bloomington, IL
Academic Highlights: IU offers 200+ majors. The university’s 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio is not bad for a school of Indiana’s size, and it does make an effort to keep undergraduate classes on the small side. While there are a number of introductory courses that transpire in giant lecture halls, 37% of all sections contain no more than 19 students. Business/marketing is the most popular major accounting for 30% of the total degrees conferred and biology is second at 9%. IU’s computer science degree program is the school’s third most frequently conferred degree at 8%.
Professional Outcomes: Class of 2022 grads reached their next employment or graduate school destination at a 94% rate within six months of receiving their degrees. The median starting salary for A&S grads was $41,000. In the Kelley School of Business, 97% were placed successfully within six months, and the median starting salary was $67,000. Among the most frequently attended graduate schools by recent grads are Indiana Bloomington (including its own law and medical schools), Purdue, Loyola Chicago, Northwestern, and Columbia.
- Enrollment: 35,660
- Cost of Attendance: $25,170 (In-State); $53,860 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1280
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 82%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 81%
Wake Forest University
- Winston-Salem, NC
Academic Highlights: All freshmen enter the Undergraduate College, which offers 45 majors and 60 minors. Sporting a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, classes are kept on the small side with 59% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. 60% of students engage in hands-on research for academic credit. Wake Forest is strong across myriad disciplines, most notably chemistry, communication, accounting, finance, and international affairs. The most frequently conferred degrees are in business (22%), the social sciences (20%), journalism (8%), and biology (8%).
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 97% of the Class of 2022 had found their next destination, with 71% starting their first professional job and 26% matriculating into a graduate program. Management/consulting, investment banking, and healthcare were the top three industries. Employers landing the highest numbers of alumni included national and multinational corporations IBM, Siemens, Volvo, Goldman Sachs, Disney, Deloitte, Dell, Gucci, PepsiCo, EY, and Nike. By the start of mid-career, Wake Forest alumni earn the second-highest median salary of any school in North Carolina.
- Enrollment: 5,447 (undergraduate); 3,516 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $87,622
- Median SAT: 1450
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 21%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
University of Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh, PA
Academic Highlights: Pitt admits freshmen to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. Pitt’s engineering and business schools are top-rated and among the most commonly chosen fields of study. Premed offerings are also top-notch, with majors in the health professions (12%), biology (11%), psychology (9%), and computer science (9%) rounding out the list of most popular majors. Pitt has a strong 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 42% of sections have an enrollment of under twenty students.
Professional Outcomes: Within a few months of graduating, 94% of 2022 grads entered full-time employment or full-time graduate or professional school. Engineering, nursing, business, and information sciences majors had 73-86% employment rates while other majors tended to flock to graduate school in large numbers. Employers scooping up the highest number of grads in one recent year included the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (170), PNC (57), BNY Mellon (36), and Deloitte (19). Median starting salaries fluctuated between $37k-65k depending on major.
- Enrollment: 20,220 (undergraduate); 9,268 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $38,034-$43,254 (in-state); $56,400-$66,840 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1360
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 50%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of Iowa
- Iowa City, IA
Academic Highlights: 200+ undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate programs are available across eight colleges, including the Tippie College of Business, which has a very strong reputation. The most commonly conferred degree is business (24%), with parks and recreation (10%), social sciences (8%), health professions (8%), engineering (7%), and communication & journalism (5%) next in popularity. Over half of its undergraduate sections enroll 19 or fewer students, and 30% of undergrads conduct or assist research.
Professional Outcomes: 96% of Class of 2022 grads found their first job or advanced degree program within six months of receiving their diploma. The most commonly entered industries were healthcare (23%), entertainment/the arts (14%), finance and insurance (11%), and marketing/PR (10%). Companies that employ hundreds of alumni include Wells Fargo, Collins Aerospace, Principal Financial Group, Amazon, Accenture, and Microsoft. The median salary for 2022 grads was $50,000. 28% of recent graduates went directly into graduate school; 76% remained at the University of Iowa.
- Enrollment: 22,130 (undergraduate); 7,912 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $28,846-$32,259 (in-state); $50,809-$54,822 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1240
- Median ACT: 25
- Acceptance Rate: 85%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 73%
Pennsylvania State University — University Park
- State College, PA
Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. The College of Engineering is rated exceptionally well on a national scale and is also the most popular field of study, accounting for 15% of the degrees conferred. The Smeal College of Business is equally well-regarded, earning high rankings in everything from supply chain management to accounting to marketing. It attracts 15% of total degree-seekers. 61% of classes have an enrollment below thirty students.
Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 70% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. 98% of College of Business grads are successful within three months of exiting, flocking in large numbers to stellar finance, accounting, consulting, and technology firms. Hundreds of alumni work at Citi, Salesforce, and Meta, and more than 500 currently work at each of IBM, Deloitte, PwC, Amazon, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle. 75% of 2022 grads employed full-time earned starting salaries greater than $50k.
- Enrollment: 41,745 (undergraduate); 7,020 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $32,656 (in-state); $52,610 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1300
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 55%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
Macalester College
- St. Paul, MN
Academic Highlights: Students can choose from roughly 40 majors and over 800 courses that are offered each academic year. Being an undergraduate-only institution, Macalester students enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is only 17 students, and 14% of class sections have single-digit enrollments. Macalester possesses strong offerings across many different disciplines. Programs in economics, international studies, and mathematics are among the best anywhere.
Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Macalester Class of 2022 had found employment, graduate school, or a fellowship. Employers of recent grads include ABC News, Google, Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical Company, McKinsey & Company, the ACLU, the National Cancer Institute, and National Geographic. Across all sectors, the average starting salary for recent grads was above $62k. Sixty percent of Mac grads pursue an advanced degree within six years of earning their bachelor’s.
- Enrollment: 2,175
- Cost of Attendance: $79,890
- Median SAT: 1430
- Median ACT: 32
- Acceptance Rate: 28%
- Retention Rate: 88%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
Brandeis University
- Waltham, MA
Academic Highlights: Brandeis offers 43 majors, the most popular of which are in the social sciences (18%), biology (17%), business (10%), psychology (8%), public administration (8%), and computer science (7%). The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of courses contain nineteen or fewer students. Departments with a particularly strong national reputation include economics, international studies, and sociology as well as all of the traditional premed pathways including biology, and chemistry.
Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 98% of the Class of 2022 had found their way to employment (59%), graduate school (35%), or another full-time activity like travel or volunteer work (4%). Members of the Class of 2022 were hired by Red Hat, Deloitte, Nasdaq, NPR, and McKinsey & Company. The average starting salary for recent grads is $61k. A large contingent of grads elects to continue at Brandeis for graduate school. Many others go to BU, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, and Yale.
- Enrollment: 3,687
- Cost of Attendance: $86,242
- Median SAT: 1440
- Median ACT: 33
- Acceptance Rate: 39%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
St. Olaf College
- Northfield, MN
Academic Highlights: St. Olaf offers 45+ majors. Over half of all course sections contain fewer than twenty students, and there are multiple avenues through which students can pursue research experiences. The most commonly conferred degrees are in the social sciences (18%), the visual and performing arts (11%), biology (11%), psychology (8%), and foreign languages (7%). Many departments at St. Olaf have exceptional national reputations including religion, mathematics, and chemistry.
Professional Outcomes: In 2022, 98% of graduates had entered the workforce or graduate school within six months of receiving their diplomas. The great majority of alumni remain in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which impacts what companies hire the most Oles. To name names, alumni have the largest representation at Target, UnitedHealth Group, the Mayo Clinic, Wells Fargo, Medtronic, 3M, and US Bank. The school is also a top producer of future PhDs.
- Enrollment: 3,074
- Cost of Attendance: $72,070
- Median SAT: 1370
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 52%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of Central Florida
- Orlando, FL
Academic Highlights: With a very high 29:1 student-to-faculty ratio, classes at UCF are fairly large as 23% contain 50 or more students. There are 100+ undergraduate majors at this institution. The most popular majors are business (17%), health professions (15%), psychology (10%), engineering (9%), and the visual and performing arts (7%). The school ranks well for facilitating social mobility and overall value and the engineering, computer science, and nursing programs all rank well on a national level.
Professional Outcomes: Over two-thirds of recent graduates obtained employment immediately after earning their bachelor’s degree; one-quarter head right to graduate school. The median starting salary is $47,000 and the most commonly entered industries are hospital/healthcare, education, hospitality services, engineering, technology, financial, accounting, and marketing. The most popular graduate degrees pursued were in the sciences, health professions, education, and medicine.
- Enrollment: 58,749
- Cost of Attendance: $24,244 (In-State); $39,269 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1270
- Median ACT: 27
- Acceptance Rate: 41%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 76%
Dickinson College
- Carlisle, PA
Academic Highlights: As students immerse themselves in one of 46 areas of concentration, Dickinson supports them with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and average class size of fifteen, with 78% of classes being capped at 19 students. By discipline, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (27%), biology (12%), business (10%), psychology (7%), and foreign languages (5%). The college’s foreign language program, which features 13 offerings—including Arabic, Hebrew, and Portuguese—is recognized as one of the top programs in the country.
Professional Outcomes: One year after graduating, 95% of Dickinson grads have found jobs or full-time volunteer work, or have enrolled in graduate school. Companies employing more than 25 Dickinson alumni include Deloitte, IBM, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Merck, EY, PNC, PwC, Google, and Amazon. It’s interesting that more alumni can be found in New York City than in Pennsylvania. Within five years of receiving their diplomas, 55-60% of recent grads have entered or finished graduate school.
- Enrollment: 2,125
- Cost of Attendance: $86,151
- Median SAT: 1355
- Median ACT: 30
- Acceptance Rate: 35%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
University of South Carolina
- Columbia, SC
Academic Highlights: UofSC is a massive enterprise, with 16 colleges/schools within the larger university. Even so, 70% of all sections contain 29 or fewer students. 32% of students take the opportunity to earn a degree in the business/marketing realm from the superb Darla Moore School of Business. The international business program is also top-ranked. Other popular disciplines include health services (11%), biology (10%), engineering (6%), and communication and journalism (6%). The South Carolina Honors College is extremely hard to get into and is one of the finest in the entire country.
Professional Outcomes: 79% of recent grads landed at their next destination within six months with an average starting salary of over $55,000. Within the School of Business, 87% of 2023 grads were employed within three months and the average starting salary was $69k. Top employers of recent classes included KPMG, IBM, Aramark, Bank of America, Vanguard, PwC, and Marriot. The majority of those continuing their studies in a graduate/professional degree program did so at the University of South Carolina; other popular landing spots are Duke and Wake Forest.
- Enrollment: 27,343 (undergraduate); 8,310 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $38,696 (in-state); $60,942 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1280
- Median ACT: 29
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 78%
Purdue University — West Lafayette
- West Lafayette, IN
Academic Highlights: Purdue offers over 200 majors at ten discipline-specific colleges, and 38% of course sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer. Engineering and engineering technologies majors earn 34% of the degrees conferred by the university; the College of Engineering cracks the top ten on almost every list of best engineering schools. The Krannert School of Management is also well-regarded by employers; 11% of degrees conferred are in business. Other popular majors include computer science (10%) and agriculture (5%)—both are incredibly strong.
Professional Outcomes: Shortly after receiving their diplomas, 70% of 2022 grads headed to the world of employment while 24% headed to graduate/professional school. The top industries entered by grads in recent years are (1) health care, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices; (2) finance, insurance, and consulting; (3) manufacturing and machinery; (4) airline, aviation, and aerospace. Companies employing the greatest number of recent alumni were Amazon, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Labcorp, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft. The average starting salary was $68k across all degree programs.
- Enrollment: 37,949 (undergraduate); 12,935 (graduate)
- Cost of Attendance: $22,812 (in-state); $41,614 (out-of-state)
- Median SAT: 1330
- Median ACT: 31
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
SUNY – Geneseo
- Geneseo, NY
Academic Highlights: SUNY Geneseo is one of the top public liberal arts honors colleges in the United States and it proudly offers 150+ academic programs. It has a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio and class sizes vary, with 59% enrolling between 20 and 49 students. A rarity for colleges in 2024, the most commonly conferred degree is in education (19%), followed by business (15%), psychology (15%), the social sciences (15%), and biology (12%).
Professional Outcomes: In surveying the Class of 2022, SUNY Geneseo found that 80% of graduates had achieved a positive outcome within six months of earning their bachelor’s degree. Most of the starting salaries were in the $40k-$60k range and popular employers included KPMG, Epic, The Walt Disney Company, AmeriCorps, and the US Army. Those pursuing a grad school path most often landed at Syracuse, RIT, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University, and the University at Buffalo.
- Enrollment: 4,136
- Cost of Attendance: $24,346 (In-State); $34,586 (Out-of-State)
- Median SAT: 1260
- Median ACT: 26
- Acceptance Rate: 75%
- Retention Rate: 84%
- Graduation Rate: 72%
We hope you have found our list of the Best Colleges for Education Majors to be useful and informative as you continue your college search process. We also invite you to check out some of our other resources and tools including:
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