by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 144 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,220 doctor's degrees in psychology during the <nil> academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of psychology for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality psychology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 colleges for psychology students working on their doctor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in psychology. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Northwestern University
It is hard to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in psychology. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in psychology. University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Vanderbilt University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in psychology. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Vanderbilt University
Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Irvine
Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Duke University
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Boston University
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Notre Dame
DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Denver
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in psychology from New York University
UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Florida
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Southern California
Located in the rural area of Palo Alto, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Palo Alto University
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from George Mason University
Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station
Hofstra is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Hempstead.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Hofstra University
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Loyola University Chicago
UMass Amherst is a very large public university located in the city of Amherst.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Massachusetts Amherst
Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Miami University - Oxford
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - San Diego
Here are some additional great schools for Psychology students that almost earned our Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 30 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 31 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 32 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 33 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 34 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 35 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 36 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 37 | Fordham University | Bronx, NY |
| 38 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 39 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 40 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 41 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 42 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 43 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 44 | The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 45 | The University of Montana | Missoula, MT |
| 46 | Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore, MD |
| 47 | Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, FL |
| 48 | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR |
View the Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 4,502 |
| General Psychology | 1,634 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 937 |
| Other Psychology | 147 |
