by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Education Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major” ranking, we looked at 2,248 colleges that offer a degree in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Education Major”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for education students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Governors University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Education Major. WGU is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12,503 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 2,248 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 9,205 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American College of Education. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Education Major. American College of Education is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 3,997 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at American College of Education
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Education Major. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,637 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend National University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Education Major. National University is a fairly large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 2,121 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Ball State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major list. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,554 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school handed out 1,843 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Education at Arizona State University - Skysong
Walden University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 1,924 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Relay Graduate School of Education did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 1,753 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Relay Graduate School of Education
University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #11. UOPX - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 1,725 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #12, Lamar University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. Located in Beaumont, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 2,560 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of the Cumberlands came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Cumberlands is a fairly large school located in Williamsburg, Kentucky that handed out 1,458 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 1,635 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 1,318 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Arkansas State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and it awarded 1,879 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Arkansas State University - Main Campus Education Report
With a ranking of #17, Capella University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 1,463 students in 2020-2021.
University of West Alabama landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. University of West Alabama is a public institution located in Livingston, Alabama. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,334 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
George Mason University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #19. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 1,351 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
National Louis University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,158 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Hunter College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #21. Hunter College is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,183 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. Teachers College at Columbia University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1,014 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Teachers College at Columbia University Education Report
Concordia University, Nebraska did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking, coming in at #23. Concordia University, Nebraska is located in Seward, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,009 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 982 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Education Report
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major ranking. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,075 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Wilmington University | New Castle, DE |
| 52 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 53 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 54 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
| 55 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 56 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 56 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 58 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 59 | Bowling Green State University - Main Campus | Bowling Green, OH |
| 60 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 61 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 62 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 63 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 64 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 65 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
