by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Urban Studies/Affairs is the 346th most popular major in the country with 1,453 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major” ranking analyzed 127 colleges that offered a degree in urban studies/affairs. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in urban studies/affairs.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for urban affairs students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stella and Charles Guttman Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 6 students in 2021-2022.
Full Stella and Charles Guttman Community College Urban Studies/Affairs Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Barnard College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major. Barnard is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 34 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. This small school is located in Hartford, Connecticut, and it awarded 25 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vassar College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Vassar College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Poughkeepsie, New York. It awarded 15 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dillard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. This small school is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it awarded 4 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Dillard University
Rhodes College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 14 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Bryn Mawr College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Bryn Mawr is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It awarded 12 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
University of Washington - Tacoma Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. UW Tacoma is a small public school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 30 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Haverford College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Haverford, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Trinity University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Trinity University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Hunter College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 83 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Harris - Stowe State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Harris - Stowe State University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Harris - Stowe State University
Cleveland State University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Cleveland State University
Queens College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. QC is a fairly large public school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 56 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at The Graduate Center, CUNY
University of the District of Columbia came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this small public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full University of the District of Columbia Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Worcester State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of New Orleans ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. UNO is a medium-sized school located in New Orleans, Louisiana that handed out 15 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at University of New Orleans
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #19. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 46 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Tennessee State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 10 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Tennessee State University
Brown University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Brown University is a fairly large school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 18 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Brown University
Norfolk State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #22. Norfolk State is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 16 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking, coming in at #23. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Wheaton College Illinois
University of Southern California landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Urban Affairs Major ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 87 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of Southern California Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
