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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools

416 Colleges in the United States
23,992 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,260 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #20 in popularity, history is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 416 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 23,992 bachelor's degrees in history to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great History School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools The history bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality history program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for history students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More History Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

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Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study History in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in history. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in History

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in history. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Harvard University make $21,208 more than the average history student.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Harvard University

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

It's difficult to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in history. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

History bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of approximately $28,490 above the average earnings of history graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Duke University

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in history. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

History bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of about $16,295 above the typical earnings of history majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Pennsylvania

4
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

It is difficult to beat Yale University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in history. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Yale University receive $22,440 more than the average history student.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Yale University

5

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program report average early career earnings of $31,215.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

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Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University earn $17,901 more than the standard history student.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Northwestern University

7

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.

History bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of around $3,699 above the typical earnings of history majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Wisconsin - Madison

8
152 Annual Graduates
$53,828 Median Starting Salary
$84,762 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $21,568 more than the typical history grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Columbia University in the City of New York

9
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
82 Annual Graduates
$39,636 Median Starting Salary
$49,419 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

History bachelor's degree recipients from New York University earn a boost of approximately $7,376 above the typical earnings of history majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from New York University

10
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.

History bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University receive an earnings boost of around $14,596 over the typical earnings of history majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Vanderbilt University

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11

Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame receive $7,262 more than the typical history graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Notre Dame

12
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Chestnut Hill.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Boston College receive $9,081 more than the typical history student.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Boston College

13
159 Annual Graduates
$29,749 Median Starting Salary
$24,532 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, history bachelor's recipients generally make around $29,749 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of California - Santa Barbara

14
240 Annual Graduates
$28,116 Median Starting Salary
$20,127 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program report average early career earnings of $28,116.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of California - Los Angeles

15
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the town of Hanover.

History bachelor's degree recipients from Dartmouth College get an earnings boost of around $28,867 above the typical income of history majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Dartmouth College

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16
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Brown University earn $10,036 more than the standard history graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Brown University

17
137 Annual Graduates
$42,899 Median Starting Salary
$35,731 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University - College Station earn $10,639 more than the typical history student.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Texas A&M University - College Station

18

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,028.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Virginia - Main Campus

19
77 Annual Graduates
$36,876 Median Starting Salary
$47,998 Median Student Debt

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

History bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of around $4,616 over the average income of history graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Southern California

20
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
17 Annual Graduates

Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in history from Rice University

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21

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program report average early career income of $26,261.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

22
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
108 Annual Graduates
$27,360 Median Starting Salary
$14,700 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program report average early career earnings of $27,360.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Florida

23
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgetown University earn $17,616 more than the standard history grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Georgetown University

24
94 Annual Graduates
$26,635 Median Starting Salary
$34,794 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the history program report average early career earnings of $26,635.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

25
120 Annual Graduates
$26,663 Median Starting Salary
$21,821 Median Student Debt

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.

Soon after graduation, history bachelor's recipients typically earn around $26,663 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in history from Ohio State University - Main Campus

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Rest of the Top 50 Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
27
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
28
29
30
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
31
32

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33

34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

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42

43
44
45
46
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
47
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
48
49
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
50
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Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 416 different United States history schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
52 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
53 University of Georgia Athens, GA
54 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
55 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
56 University at Albany Albany, NY
57 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
58 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
59 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
60 Clemson University Clemson, SC
61 University of Delaware Newark, DE
62 Villanova University Villanova, PA
63 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
64 Barnard College New York, NY
65 University of North Texas Denton, TX
66 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
67 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
68 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
69 Illinois State University Normal, IL
70 Salem State University Salem, MA
71 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
72 American University Washington, DC
73 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
74 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
75 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
76 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
77 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
78 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
79 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
80 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
81 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
82 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
83 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for History students that almost earned our Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
84 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
85 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
86 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
87 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
88 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
89 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
90 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
91 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
92 Providence College Providence, RI
93 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
94 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
95 Auburn University Auburn, AL
96 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
97 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
98 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
99 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
100 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
101 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
102 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA
103 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
104 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
105 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
106 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
107 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
108 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
109 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
110 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
111 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
112 Washington State University Pullman, WA
113 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
114 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
115 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
116 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
117 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
118 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
119 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
120 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
121 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
122 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
123 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
124 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
125 Keene State College Keene, NH
126 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
127 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
128 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
129 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
130 Northeastern University Boston, MA
131 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
132 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
133 Towson University Towson, MD
134 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
135 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
136 Connecticut College New London, CT
137 Baylor University Waco, TX
138 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
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History by Region

View the Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes
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View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the History area of study, History has other similar majors worth exploring.

History Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General History 23,367
Other History 338
History and Philosophy of Science and Technology 118
Military History 100
Public/Applied History 52
American History (United States) 9
European History 8
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Notes and References

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Popular Reports

College Rankings
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