by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 291 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for early childhood education students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12,709 bachelor's degrees in early childhood education to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The child development bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for early childhood education students working on their bachelor's degree.
The child development 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 the Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor's Degree Schools.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
The College of New Jersey is a great option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. TCNJ is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Ewing.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from The College of New Jersey
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a good option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Indiana University - Bloomington
It is difficult to beat University of Georgia if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Georgia
Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Delaware
Towson is a large public university located in the small city of Towson.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Towson University
Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Ball State University
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from New York University
Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Dayton
Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Central Florida
Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Arizona State University - Tempe
Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of South Carolina - Columbia
Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Illinois State University
Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of South Florida - Main Campus
Located in the midsize suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Clemson University
Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Miami University - Oxford
UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Northern Iowa
UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Louisiana State University is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Baton Rouge.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Kentucky
Missouri State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Springfield.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Missouri State University - Springfield
Located in the midsize city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Located in the suburb of Wayne, William Paterson University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from William Paterson University of New Jersey
Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Purdue University - Main Campus
Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.More information about a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Iowa State University
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 291 different United States early childhood education schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 52 | Concordia University, Nebraska | Seward, NE |
| 53 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 54 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 55 | Kent State University at Kent | Kent, OH |
| 56 | National Louis University | Chicago, IL |
| 57 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 58 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Early Childhood Education is one of 13 different types of Teacher Education Grade Specific programs to choose from.
