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2025 Best Literature Schools

13 Colleges in the United States
769 Literature Degrees Awarded
$24,751 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you're seeking a degree in literature, you will have fewer peers than average since the major degree program is the #264 one in the country in terms of popularity.While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Literature Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 769 degrees in literature to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Literature School

Best Literature Schools The literature program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Literature rankings. We derive our Best Overall Literature School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Literature Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Literature
Master's Degrees in Literature
Doctor's Degrees in Literature

The literature 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 Literature Schools. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Literature in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the literature degree levels they offer.

10 Top Schools in Literature

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Literature Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in literature. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 69 literature students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the literature program state that they receive average early career wages of $24,109.

More information about a degree in literature from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,704 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in literature. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 28 literature students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the literature program earn an average of $22,704 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in literature from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Duke University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in literature. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 8 literature students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in literature from Duke University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA

Every student pursuing a degree in literature needs to look into George Mason University. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 23 literature students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in literature from George Mason University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Literature Degrees Awarded

Located in the rural area of Sewanee, Sewanee is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 7th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.More information about a degree in literature from Sewanee - The University of the South

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #134 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.More information about a degree in literature from Miami University - Oxford

7
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,164 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means The American University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 19 literature students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, literature degree recipients generally earn around $23,164 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in literature from American University

8
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Literature Degrees Awarded
$25,618 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 22nd out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 49 literature students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the literature program make around $25,618 for their early career.

More information about a degree in literature from The New School

9
Bennington crest
Bennington College
Bennington, VT

Located in the distant town of Bennington, Bennington is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 3rd out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Vermont.

There were about 20 literature students who graduated with this degree at Bennington in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, literature degree recipients usually earn an average of $18,152 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in literature from Bennington College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

NAU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Flagstaff. This university ranks 7th out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.More information about a degree in literature from Northern Arizona University

Literature by Region

View the Best Literature 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

View All Rankings >

Literature is one of 9 different types of English Language & Literature programs to choose from.

Literature Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Literature 417
English Literature (British & Commonwealth) 225
Children’s & Adolescent Literature 58
American Literature (United States) 43
Other Literature 26

View All Literature Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 37,414
Writing Studies 13,544
English Literature (Other) 977

View All Literature Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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