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2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major

266 Ranked Colleges
17,542 Degrees Awarded
$35,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Child Development Major

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Child Development Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 17,542 people earned their degree in child development and psychology, making the major the 57th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,186 and had an average of $22,623 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Child Development Major” ranking, we looked at 266 colleges that offer a degree in child development and psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular child development and psychology programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Child Development & Psychology Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Child Development Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Well Attended Child Development Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for child development students.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Child Development Major. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 879 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis Child Development & Psychology Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 800 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at UC Irvine

3

Out of the 266 schools in the Most Well Attended Child Development Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 749 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full U-M Child Development & Psychology Report

4
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 675 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full NYU Child Development & Psychology Report

5

Out of the 266 schools in the Most Well Attended Child Development Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #5 spot on the list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 624 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCR Child Development & Psychology Report

6

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 622 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Child Development & Psychology Report

7

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 578 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Child Development & Psychology Report

8

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 561 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Child Development & Psychology Report

9
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

Montclair State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #9. Montclair State University is a large public school situated in Montclair, New Jersey. It awarded 462 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Montclair State

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school awarded 446 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Pitt Child Development & Psychology Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 432 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Los Angeles

12
UNF crest
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #12. Jacksonville, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 384 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 full report on Child Development & Psychology at UNF

13
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

With a ranking of #13, University of Utah did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 367 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full U of U Child Development & Psychology Report

14

University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and it awarded 346 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.

Full University of South Carolina - Columbia Child Development & Psychology Report

14

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #14. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 346 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

16

University of California - Berkeley came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 326 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full UC Berkeley Child Development & Psychology Report

16

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Child Development Major list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 326 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Indiana University - Bloomington

18
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 272 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Purdue University - Main Campus

19
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, Missouri

Park University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. Located in Parkville, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 257 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Park University

20

Metropolitan State University of Denver came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. MSU Denver is a public institution located in Denver, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 216 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at MSU Denver

21
UD crest
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

University of Delaware did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #21. UD is a public institution located in Newark, Delaware. The school has a large population, and it awarded 210 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of Delaware

21

Washington University in St Louis landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 210 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Washington University in St Louis Child Development & Psychology Report

23
University of Rochester crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York

University of Rochester did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Rochester, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 201 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Rochester

24

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 189 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Columbia

25

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Child Development Major ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 174 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Child Development & Psychology Report

Rest of the Best 40 in Most Well Attended Child Development Major

Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
27
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
27
UNG crest
University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, Georgia
29
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, Minnesota
30
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
30
32
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
33
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
34
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
35
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
36
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York
36
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
38
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
39
40

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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