by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege 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
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:
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.
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.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete 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.
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.
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.
Harvard University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in history. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.
Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Harvard University make $21,208 more than the typical history grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Harvard University
It's hard to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in history. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
History bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University receive an earnings boost of around $28,490 above the typical earnings of history majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Duke University
It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in history. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
History bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of around $16,295 over the typical income of history majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Pennsylvania
It's difficult to beat Yale University if you wish 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 large student population.
Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Yale University earn $22,440 more than the average history student.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Yale University
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 wages of $31,215.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Northwestern is a fairly 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 receive $17,901 more than the standard history grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Northwestern University
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 get an earnings boost of approximately $3,699 over the average earnings of history majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very 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
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 over the typical income of history majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from New York University
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 about $14,596 over the average income of history graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Vanderbilt University
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 standard history grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Notre Dame
Boston College is a large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill.
Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Boston College earn $9,081 more than the typical history student.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Boston College
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.
Soon after graduating, history bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $29,749 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA 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 wages of $28,116.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of California - Los Angeles
Dartmouth is a medium-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 about $28,867 above the typical income of history graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Dartmouth College
Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Brown University earn $10,036 more than the standard history grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Brown University
Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly 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 standard history graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the midsize 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 report average early career wages of $34,028.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Virginia - Main Campus
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
History bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of approximately $4,616 above the average income of history majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Southern California
Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a bachelor’s in history from Rice University
Located in the large 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
Located in the 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 state that they receive average early career wages of $27,360.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Florida
Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Those history students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgetown University make $17,616 more than the typical history graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Georgetown University
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities 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 wages of $26,635.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus.
Soon after graduating, history bachelor's recipients usually earn about $26,663 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in history from Ohio State University - Main Campus
This section shows the remainder of the colleges 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.
Here are some additional great schools for History students that almost earned our Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best History Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 0 majors within the History area of study, History has other similar majors worth exploring.
| 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 |