College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

36 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,147 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,899 Avg Early-Career Salary
Anthropology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #77 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 36 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,147 degrees in anthropology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Anthropology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Anthropology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in the Great Lakes Region

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

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Anthropology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

University of Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in anthropology. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL

Any student pursuing a degree in anthropology needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Northwestern University

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
73 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you wish to pursue a degree in anthropology. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 73 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program make around $24,079 for their early career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in anthropology. Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 81 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program report average early career earnings of $28,172.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Notre Dame

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
46 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 46 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
19.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn an average of $16,197 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OH
31 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Case Western is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cleveland. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were roughly 31 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Case Western Reserve University

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,617 Median Starting Salary
$64,287 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program earn an average of $28,617 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Michigan State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$26,476 Median Starting Salary

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were about 31 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,476.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Indiana University - Bloomington

Best Anthropology Colleges by State

Explore the best anthropology colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 254
Ohio 314 295
Illinois 304 288
Indiana 294 201
Wisconsin 273 141

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 1,102
Medical Anthropology 20
Other Anthropology 18
Physical & Biological Anthropology 7

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Anthropology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,646
Political Science & Government 5,684
Sociology 3,052
International Relations & National Security 1,159
Geography & Cartography 1,007
General Social Sciences 655
Other Social Sciences 180
Urban Studies 103
Sociology & Anthropology 80
Archeology 72

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options