by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 73 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for general social sciences students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 5,439 bachelor's degrees in general social sciences to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of general social sciences for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality general social sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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 general social sciences students working on their bachelor's degree.
The general social sciences 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 General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools.
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 general social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Vanderbilt University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general social sciences. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Vanderbilt University
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in general social sciences has to take a look at Harvard University. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Harvard University
Northwestern University is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in general social sciences. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Northwestern University
Michigan State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general social sciences. Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Michigan State University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from New York University
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from University of Southern California
University at Buffalo is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Buffalo.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from University at Buffalo
Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Florida State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from University of Oregon
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Ohio State University - Main Campus
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Providence is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Providence College
Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Kansas State University
Located in the large city of Portland, Portland State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general social sciences from Portland State University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 16 | Bard College | Annandale-On-Hudson, NY |
| 17 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 18 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 19 | California State University - Chico | Chico, CA |
| 20 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi, MD |
| 21 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 22 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 23 | Boise State University | Boise, ID |
| 24 | Western Oregon University | Monmouth, OR |
View the Best General Social Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 3 majors within the General Social Sciences area of study, General Social Sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Research Methodology & Quantitative Methods | 166 |
