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2025 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools

460 Colleges in the United States
25,951 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,397 Avg Early-Career Salary
Sociology is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 460 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 25,951 bachelor's degrees in sociology during the <nil> academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Sociology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of sociology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for sociology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Sociology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Sociology in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Sociology

1
669 Annual Graduates
$34,121 Median Starting Salary
$18,385 Median Student Debt

University of California - Los Angeles is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program make around $34,121 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Los Angeles

2
294 Annual Graduates
$40,774 Median Starting Salary
$17,996 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $6,377 more than the standard sociology graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Berkeley

3

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in sociology. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the sociology degree program at Columbia University in the City of New York get $24,144 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
33 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Harvard University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Cambridge.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Harvard University

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the sociology major at Duke University make $11,154 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Duke University

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
13 Annual Graduates

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Stanford University

7
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Chicago

8

Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career earnings of $35,915.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Notre Dame

9
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill.

Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from Boston College get an earnings boost of around $13,694 over the average income of sociology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Boston College

10

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from Northwestern University get an earnings boost of about $4,005 above the average earnings of sociology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Northwestern University

11
692 Annual Graduates
$34,372 Median Starting Salary
$20,153 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,372.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Santa Barbara

12
219 Annual Graduates
$40,062 Median Starting Salary
$30,553 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population.

Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $5,665 over the typical earnings of sociology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

13
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
16 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Yale University

14
23 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Johns Hopkins University

15

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the sociology program earn an average of $33,832 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

16

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career wages of $35,889.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

17

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.

Bachelor's recipients from the sociology program at Cornell University earn $2,312 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Cornell University

18
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
34 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Vanderbilt University

19
161 Annual Graduates
$35,848 Median Starting Salary
$26,440 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,848.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Texas A&M University - College Station

20
287 Annual Graduates
$32,137 Median Starting Salary
$22,759 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the sociology program report average early career earnings of $32,137.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Davis

21
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH

Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover.

Those sociology students who get their bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College make $29,980 more than the average sociology student.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Dartmouth College

22
254 Annual Graduates
$34,050 Median Starting Salary
$19,489 Median Student Debt

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine.

Soon after graduation, sociology bachelor's recipients typically earn about $34,050 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of California - Irvine

23

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Sociology bachelor's degree recipients from University of Virginia - Main Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $11,389 above the typical income of sociology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from University of Virginia - Main Campus

24
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
152 Annual Graduates
$35,055 Median Starting Salary
$38,384 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduating, sociology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $35,055 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Michigan State University

25
29 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in sociology from Washington University in St Louis

Rest of the Top 50 Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
28
29
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
30
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
31
32

33
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

34
35
36
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
37
38
39
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
40
41
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

42
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

43
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
44
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
45
46
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
47
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
48
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
49
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
50

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 460 different United States sociology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Tufts University Medford, MA
52 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
53 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
54 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
55 University at Albany Albany, NY
56 Barnard College New York, NY
57 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
58 University of Delaware Newark, DE
59 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
60 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
61 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
62 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
63 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
64 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
65 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
66 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
67 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
68 Villanova University Villanova, PA
69 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
70 Fordham University Bronx, NY
71 Trinity College Hartford, CT
72 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
73 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
74 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
75 Colby College Waterville, ME
76 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
77 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
78 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
79 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
80 George Washington University Washington, DC
81 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
82 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
83 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
84 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
85 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
86 Northeastern University Boston, MA
87 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
88 Iowa State University Ames, IA
89 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
90 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
91 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
92 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
93 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
94 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
95 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
96 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
97 Bates College Lewiston, ME
98 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
99 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
100 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
101 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
102 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
103 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
104 Providence College Providence, RI
105 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
106 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
107 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
108 Connecticut College New London, CT
109 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
110 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
111 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
112 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
113 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
114 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
115 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
116 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
117 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
118 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
119 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
120 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
121 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
122 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
123 Smith College Northampton, MA
124 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
125 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
126 Illinois State University Normal, IL
127 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
128 University of Denver Denver, CO
129 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
130 Suffolk University Boston, MA
131 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
132 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
133 University of North Texas Denton, TX
134 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
135 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
136 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
137 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
138 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
139 Washington State University Pullman, WA
140 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
141 Clemson University Clemson, SC
142 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
143 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
144 University of California - Merced Merced, CA
145 Saint Anselm College Manchester, NH
146 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
147 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
148 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
149 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
150 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
151 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
152 Hunter College New York, NY
153 California State University - Chico Chico, CA

Sociology by Region

View the Best Sociology Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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

Sociology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 25,862
Applied/Public Sociology 56
Rural Sociology 33

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 41,131
Economics 35,886
Anthropology 8,349
International Relations & National Security 8,079
General Social Sciences 5,605
Geography & Cartography 3,429
Other Social Sciences 1,402
Urban Studies 866
Sociology & Anthropology 550
Archeology 235

Notes and References

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