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2025 Best Anthropology Schools in the Far Western US Region

47 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
3,312 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,899 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in anthropology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #77 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 47 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for anthropology students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,312 degrees in anthropology annually.

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

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools in the Far Western US Region The anthropology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Anthropology rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for anthropology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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 Anthropology Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Anthropology
Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology
Master's Degrees in Anthropology
Doctor's Degrees in Anthropology

The anthropology 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 Anthropology Schools in the Far Western US Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in the Far Western US Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the anthropology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Anthropology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
220 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$32,300 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in anthropology has to check out University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a very large public university located in the 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 about 220 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the anthropology degree program at University of California - Los Angeles earn $3,401 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,661 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in anthropology. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 116 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, anthropology degree recipients typically earn around $28,661 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Berkeley

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$31,420 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a degree in anthropology. UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 149 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Those anthropology students who get their degree from University of California - Santa Barbara receive $2,521 more than the standard anthropology graduate.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$32,778 Median Starting Salary

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in anthropology. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the anthropology program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus make $3,879 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
21.2% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 113 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, anthropology degree recipients generally earn about $28,059 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,543 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 69 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program report average early career income of $28,543.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$26,178 Median Starting Salary

UCR is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Riverside. A Best Colleges rank of #219 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCR is a great university overall.

There were roughly 118 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career income of $26,178.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Riverside

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$30,509 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 66 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, anthropology degree recipients usually make around $30,509 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Irvine

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$23,152 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 118 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $23,152.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of California - Santa Cruz

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$27,775 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #167 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UO is a great university overall.

There were about 65 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UO in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn around $27,775 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Oregon

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Anthropology Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
12 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
13 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
14 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
15 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA

Best Anthropology Colleges by State

Explore the best anthropology schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 2,821
Washington 300 232
Oregon 266 233
Nevada 192 118
Hawaii 164 61
Alaska 119 27

View All Rankings >

Anthropology is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Anthropology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 3,248
Other Anthropology 32
Cultural Anthropology 29
Medical Anthropology 3

View All Anthropology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 15,078
Economics 12,012
Political Science & Government 9,771
General Social Sciences 9,542
Geography & Cartography 1,818
International Relations & National Security 1,575
Other Social Sciences 477
Urban Studies 453
Archeology 72
Sociology & Anthropology 56

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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