2026 Best Colleges for Sociology

Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA’s size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. UCLA has 115 partner universities in 40+ countries around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Companies that employ over 100 Bruins each include Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, TikTok, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn. Ultimately, one-third of UCLA grads go on to enroll in graduate/professional school, with many choosing to stay at their alma mater. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k. Many alumni remain in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area after graduating; other popular destinations include the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.

Academic Highlights: There are 50 undergraduate fields of study referred to as concentrations; many are interdisciplinary. Even with a graduate population close to 14,000 to cater to, undergraduate class sizes still tend to be breathtakingly intimate, with 43% of sections having single-digit enrollments and 73% being capped at nineteen. Graduates report an almost 90% satisfaction rate with the experience within their academic concentration. Summer research experiences are taken advantage of by over one-third of the student body. Approximately 55-60% of students study abroad at a number of locations in South America, Africa, Europe, or Asia.

Professional Outcomes: Harvard’s most recent graduating class saw 15% of students head directly into graduate/professional school, with nearly everyone else entering the world of work. Over 1,000 Harvard alumni presently work for Google and over 500 for Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. More than 250 are employed at Amazon, Meta, and Bain & Company. Post-graduation, Harvard students tend to cluster in three main states—New York, California, and Massachusetts. Those three states collectively reel in 60% of newly minted alumni. Remuneration is excellent with over two-thirds of graduates reporting starting salaries over $70k and 30% taking home $110k+ in base pay. By mid-career, grads have the second-highest median salaries in the Ivy League.

Academic Highlights: The academic experience at Columbia is driven by the famed Core Curriculum that lays out an extensive to-do list that includes highly specified courses rather than categorical requirements. Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 59% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. More than 570 students per year participate in the Columbia Overseas Program. A little over one-quarter of the students leave Manhattan for a foreign country during their four years of study. Undergraduate research is taken seriously by the university, which offers multiple avenues through which students can work side-by-side with faculty on their projects or pursue funding for their own original research ideas.

Professional Outcomes: The companies hiring the largest number of Lions in 2023 were among the most desirable employers in the world including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft. Those moving on to graduate/professional school were welcomed in large numbers into other universities of Columbia’s ilk. In addition to remaining at Columbia (the most popular choice), the top ten institutions attended were Stanford, Harvard, NYU, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, UChicago, Oxford, Princeton, and MIT.

Academic Highlights: An absurdly low 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio does, as you might expect, translate to tiny class sizes for undergraduates. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 32% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Office of Undergraduate Research assists Tigers in locating faculty members with whom they can jointly conduct research in the summer or during a regular term. More than four hundred study abroad programs, internships, and experiences are available in over 140 countries; 61% of students ultimately engage in at least one international experience.

Professional Highlights: Over 93% of a typical Tiger class has found their next destination within six months of graduating. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary reported by 2023 graduates was $89k across all majors. Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school. Tigers typically choose equally prestigious graduate schools to attend. Members of one recent class flocked in the largest numbers to Stanford, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge, Columbia, and Oxford in that order.

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80+ majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Undergraduate research is a staple of the Yale academic experience; university-wide, undergraduate research fellowships are awarded to over 100 freshmen each year. The number of Bulldogs electing to study abroad is typically around 70%.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 58% of the Yale Class of 2023 had entered the world of employment and 19% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, McKinsey & Co., Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Microsoft. The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $89,622 ($141k for CS majors). The University of Oxford, Yale, and Stanford were the top three graduate school destinations for the Class of 2023.

Academic Highlights: A 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio means that classrooms remain very intimate, and face time with the renowned faculty is a reality. More than three-quarters of UChicago undergraduate sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member. A solid 60% of undergrads study abroad at one of the 77 programs offered in 31 cities around the world.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. The most popular employers for UChicago grads include Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. University of Chicago grads are highly sought after by elite graduate universities. The top destinations for recent graduates are Yale, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, and Harvard A fairly substantial 50% of graduates remain in the Midwest after finishing their degrees, 29% migrate to the Northeast, and 10% make the journey west.

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Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools. Undergrads will encounter a mix of large lectures (20% of sections contain more than 50 students) and tiny, single-digit enrollments in seminar-style courses (21% of sections contain nine or fewer students). Plenty of undergraduate research opportunities exist, with many facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships; 48% of students participate in research during their time at Berkeley. Over 200 study abroad opportunities are available for those who desire them, and approximately 1,800 undergrads take advantage each year.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 53% of Cal’s Class of 2023 had already secured employment, and 17% were headed to graduate school. The median starting salary was $94,000 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by NVIDIA and LinkedIn. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. For those continuing their education, most chose to stay at UC Berkeley, with Stanford, the University of Southern California, Columbia, and Harvard rounding out the top five grad school destinations.

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are on the small side—74% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. The Undergraduate Research Support Office does great work connecting students with opportunities to conduct research, either over the summer or during the regular school year. All told, more than half of undergraduates conduct research. More Duke students pursue a semester abroad than students at any other top ten research institution—roughly half elect to venture off to one of the school’s 300 partner programs scattered around the world.

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 76% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 17% continue into graduate schools, and 7% start their own businesses. Companies employing multiple Duke grads per year include Google, Capital One, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, and a host of other top-shelf corporations in the areas of technology, finance, and consulting. Eventually, 84% of Duke undergraduates will go on to earn an advanced degree One-third of Duke alumni elect to stay in North Carolina. New York, California, DC, and Massachusetts follow in popularity.

Academic Highlights: A virtually unmatched 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio sets students up for a personalized classroom experience and an incredible amount of face time with some of the leaders in their respective fields. Sixty-nine percent of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 32% have a single-digit enrollment. Stanford puts immense resources behind undergraduate research; more than $6.5 million in grant funding is allocated each year to support roughly 1,100 student research projects. Close to 900 students study abroad annually through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in 12 international cities.

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries: business development, engineering, and education. Among the companies employing the largest number of grads are Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and OpenAI. A sizable number of newly minted Cardinals dive into the world of entrepreneurship. San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles were the top three US destinations for recent grads. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

Academic Highlights: Boasting a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1, Rice offers a spectacularly intimate learning experience. Class sizes are ideally small with 66% containing fewer than 20 students and a median class size of only fifteen. Undergraduate research opportunities abound with approximately 70% of graduates participating in academic research during their four years. Those experiences are open to freshmen through the Century Scholars Program and to all underclassmen through the Rice Undergraduate Scholars Program. Study abroad options are available in over fifty countries, including collaborative programs with some of the top schools in the world including The London School of Economics, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 88% of recent Rice grads have found careers or a graduate school home. Companies that employ many recent grads include Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Google, and Accenture. Over four hundred alumni work at Baylor College of Medicine, and over 200 work at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Across all majors, the average starting salary is $89k. Texas is among the most common destinations for recent grads, but many also flock to San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Chicago.

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges. Michigan sports a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 18% of classes contain 50 or more students, but a solid 53% of classes offer a more intimate experience with fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program draws in 1,300 participants each year who partner with 800+ research mentors. For students in all academic programs at Michigan, study abroad opportunities are taken advantage of at high rates. In fact, the university is second in the nation in the number of students it sends to study in foreign lands.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school. The median salary across all majors is approximately 70k. Top employers include PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One.  Within six months, 93% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $99k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft employ the greatest number of alumni.

Academic Highlights: With 46 majors and 32 minors, Wes truly has something for everyone. The academic requirements are relatively minimal, giving undergrads a high degree of intellectual freedom. 76% of class sections have fewer than twenty students; students rave about the accessible faculty. Research opportunities with professors are plentiful. The undergraduate program for Research in the Sciences funds over one hundred students per year to conduct research over the summer. The university has increased its study abroad participation in recent years to the point that almost 50% of students now spend a semester overseas.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 66% of recent grads had entered employment. The companies employing the highest numbers of recent Wesleyan grads included JPMorgan Chase, Americorps, Citi, McKinsey, Accenture, AlphaSights, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Graduate school was the next stop for 17% of new alums. Those pursuing advanced degrees have enrolled in a wide range of schools, including elites like MIT, Stanford, Berkeley and most Ivies. New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Hartford are the most popular post-college destinations.

Academic Highlights: Among its core beliefs, Bowdoin offers a flexible and broad liberal arts education. Polar Bears can choose from one of thirty-three academic programs or get more creative through an interdisciplinary or student-designed major. One-size-fits-all requirements are minimal. Class sizes are small—63% contain fewer than twenty students—and 19% have fewer than ten students. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1.

Professional Outcomes: An examination of three recent years’ worth of outcomes data reveals that one year after graduation, between 73 and 77% of recent grads have found full-time employment, and 15% have gone directly into graduate school. Only 2-8% are still seeking employment. Prominent corporations across all sectors love Bowdoin grads. Recent alumni have found positions at Apple, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Google, HBO, and Microsoft. The cities attracting the greatest numbers of graduates include Boston; New York City; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; DC; and Los Angeles.

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can choose from 74 bachelor’s degree programs across several schools and colleges. 87% of classes have fewer than 50 students, while 39% of classes have a student enrollment under 20. UNC sends forty percent of graduates abroad to one of 70 countries at some point in their educational career. Research is required as part of the general education curriculum, and plenty of faculty-mentored opportunities and funded formal programs are also available. In 2024, over 600 students shared their research at the annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Chapel Hill, 94% of 2023 grads had entered employment, military service, or graduate school. Among the for-profit companies that hire the most graduates are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Amazon, Fidelity Investments, and Epic Games. In the nonprofit sector, a large number of alumni are employed by AmeriCorps, NIH, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. The average starting salary is $74,292. Nine percent of 2023 grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school.

Academic Highlights: Thanks to a 9:1 student/faculty ratio and no competition from graduate students, 65% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and roughly one-fifth of sections have single-digit student enrollments. Participating in research is a normal part of an undergraduate education at Grinnell. Overall, 58% of Grinnell undergrads participate in one on- or off-campus research experience that was not simply built into their coursework. Some entered Mentored Advanced Projects, which see faculty work closely with students on scholarly or creative works while others conducted research at another location such as Duke University, Georgetown University, or Carnegie Mellon University. International study is also a fairly common part of a Grinnell education with over 50% of students studying abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduation, 58% of Grinnell students head into the workforce, 27% to graduate school, 3% to postgraduate service, and 3% earned fellowships. Multiple grads accepted positions with Amazon, BOA, Deloitte, Epic, Google, and Microsoft. Grinnellians enrolled in graduate programs at prestigious universities like Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, and Yale; 83% of all applicants were accepted into their first or second choice program. The mean salary of those employed was $61,683. Massachusetts and Illinois attracted the highest number of graduates, slightly more than Iowa itself. New York and Minnesota were the next most popular locations for Grinnell grads.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio at UC Santa Barbara is a decent 17:1, and the school does an excellent job of keeping undergraduate class sizes on the small side. In fact, more than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities definitely exist for those willing to forge relationships with faculty outside the classroom. A solid 63% of graduates report engaging in some type of faculty-guided research. It’s not as easy to inspire Gauchos to leave their campus paradise for a semester in a foreign land—only around 20% of students participate in study abroad.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 500 UC Santa Barbara alumni currently work at Google, Apple, and Amazon, while Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, AppFolio, and NVIDIA each employ 100+. Early in their career, UCSB alumni make a median salary of $75k; by mid-career, they earn a median income of $152k. Most graduates settle in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, followed by the San Francisco Bay area, and the San Diego metropolitan area.

Academic Highlights: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 62% of course sections have under twenty students, but 20% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Undergraduate research opportunities abound with roughly 60% of students participating at some point. Further, close to 90% of those participants report having a satisfying experience working with a faculty member in that capacity. The rate of satisfaction is hardly surprising as Dartmouth’s faculty consistently rates at the top of rankings/surveys regarding quality of instruction. An extensive study abroad program offers 40+ Dartmouth faculty-led academic experiences around the world, and over 50% of all students partake.

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation, along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong, leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Recent Dartmouth grads work for Amazon, Apple, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Epic, Google, the NIH, and the Smithsonian Institute. Right off the bat, 56% of graduates earn $90,000 or more in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton, with 32% of Big Green grads choosing to continue their education at Dartmouth.

Academic Highlights: The quarter system allows students to take four courses at a time rather than the typical five. Even so, the academic demands are intense, and Northwestern students work hard for their grades. The university has a phenomenal 6:1 student-faculty ratio, and a spectacular 39% of class sections have nine or fewer students enrolled; 76% have fewer than twenty enrollees. Faculty receive generally favorable reviews from undergraduate students and are rated as being highly accessible outside of the classroom. Fifty-eight percent of recent grads had the chance to conduct research with a faculty member at some point during their undergraduate years.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 70% of the Class of 2023 had found employment and 25% were in graduate school. Employers include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Deloitte, McKinsey & Co., and Salesforce. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $77k. The vast majority of Northwestern graduates can be found in Illinois, with the next largest concentration of alums living in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

Academic Highlights: Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 54% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Introductory courses sometimes take place in larger lecture halls, so 24% of courses have an enrollment of more than forty students. Undergraduates do give their professors generally high marks: 88% report being satisfied with the instruction they have received, 48% report completing a thesis/research project, and 53% conducted research with a faculty member. Members of Big Red can choose from study abroad opportunities in more than forty countries, and roughly one-third participate.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 63% entered the workforce, 26% entered graduate school, 2% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 4% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. Graduates earned a median salary of $85,000. Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 13% pursued JDs, 4% MDs, and 25% PhDs. Popular destinations included staying at Cornell, other Ivies, Stanford, MIT, universities in the UC system, or abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, the University of Toronto, or the University of St. Andrews

Academic Highlights: There are 230+ undergraduate majors offered across eight schools and colleges, Undergrads can expect a mix of large and small classes, with 43% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. Undergraduate research opportunities exist, but the onus is on the student to show initiative and procure the placement. Still, 44% of recent grads engaged in research, and the school hosts an annual Undergraduate Symposium where 600 students presented in 2024. Participation is much higher when it comes to study abroad programs; 25% of students take advantage each year and there are 325 programs in 80 countries to choose from.

Professional Outcomes: In 2023, 72% of job-seeking grads graduated with an offer.  Top employers included UW-Madison, Epic, UW Health, the State of Wisconsin, Kohl’s, and Deloitte. Across all graduating years, companies employing 250+ alumni include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Target, Apple, Meta, and Salesforce. Class of 2023 grads enrolled in graduate/professional programs at a rate of 28%; volunteering is also a popular path post-graduation for UW-Madison alumni as the university is the #1 producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

Academic Highlights: 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools. The university boasts an exceptional 27% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 58% with an enrollment under twenty—quite an achievement for a school of Penn’s massive size. It also offers multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research, whether through independent studies or working side-by-side with faculty members. The university publishes 12 distinct journals featuring original undergraduate research. Penn ranks first among Ivies in study abroad participation rate; each year, over 1,400 students head off to earn a semester’s credit in one of 50 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 76% of Class of 2023 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 16% were in graduate school. Employers hiring the greatest number of 2023 grads included McKinsey & Company, Penn Medicine, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $100,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Harvard and Columbia.

Academic Highlights: Eighteen percent of courses at Bates have a single-digit enrollment, and 60% of classrooms contain nineteen or fewer students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1, and not a single graduate student is present to vacuum up professorial attention. Distinctive features include a mandatory first-year seminar, senior thesis requirement, and a Short Term at the end of the academic year that provides students the opportunity to focus exclusively on one course, field project, internship, or study abroad opportunity.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 91% of the Class of 2023 were either employed, enrolled in graduate school, or otherwise meaningfully engaged in a fellowship or internship. Popular employers included Accenture, Fidelity Investments, Google, Wayfair, and Liberty Mutual Insurance whereas common employment destinations of Bates graduates were concentrated primarily in the Northeast, namely Boston, New York, and Portland, Maine.

Academic Highlights: UT Austin offers over 170 majors. Sn encouraging 36% of course sections enroll nineteen or fewer students. Opportunities for undergraduate research vary by school, and many student must compete for slots in programs such as Summer Research Scholars or use the Eureka database to find individual professors offering research assistantships. A robust study abroad program boasts 400 offerings in 100+ foreign countries; 4,600+ students participate each year, the third-largest number in the country.

Professional Outcomes:  Over 1000 alumni work in the offices of Dell, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte; IBM, Meta, Oracle, and AMD employ over 500 each. Graduates early in their careers earn a median salary of $77,400, with median mid-career pay reaching $141,100. Roughly one-quarter of University of Texas at Austin undergraduates go on to pursue advanced degrees after completing their bachelor’s. Many pursue advanced study at UT Austin itself, which offers more than one hundred graduate programs. Many alumni stay in Texas after graduation, settling in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Academic Highlights: With a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, undergraduate class sizes are kept small. In the 2023-24 school year, 26% of course sections contained nine or fewer students, and 61% contained 19 or fewer. Undergraduate research opportunities can be found as part of the classroom curriculum, through capstone experiences, or through the Vanderbilt University Summer Research Program; 58% of undergrads conduct research during their four years. Half of all Commodores are adventurous enough to study abroad, and over 80% of those who do say the experience helped them build job skills. The university offers 120 programs in 40 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate school. Alumni can be found in droves at Capital One, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, VUMC, Amazon, and Bank of America. Among 2023 alumni who directly pursued advanced degrees, the majority enrolled at Vanderbilt followed by Columbia, UPenn, NYU, Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Northwestern. The greatest number of recent alumni stayed in the Greater Nashville area but large pockets also assembled in New York City, Boston, and Chicago. Mid-career median salaries for Vanderbilt graduates are number one in the state by a wide margin; the median figure is $86,000.

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Studying abroad is a fairly common feature of an Emory education, with 40% of students traveling to one of 100 international destinations.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 59% of 2023 grads were already employed, and 99% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Epic, NIH, Capital One, Fulbright US Student Program, Amazon, and Deloitte. The average starting salary was $61k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top schools – Columbia, UPenn, Yale, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt. While a healthy number of Emory grads found employment in Georgia, the top destinations for the Class of 2023 included non-Southern locales in New York City, DC, LA, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Academic Highlights: Fifty-six majors are on tap at Colgate, including all of the expected liberal arts concentrations. With a student-faculty ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 17, Colgate undergraduates work intimately withtheir instructors. Undoubtedly, the resulting connections help to explain the school’s sterling 94-95% freshman retention rate. It is commonplace for Colgate students to research alongside professors. Each summer, the school funds over 200 undergraduates who assist with research projects, and, year-round, it maintains a useful database of professors who are seeking research across all disciplines. Raiders study abroad in overwhelming numbers with a 60-70% participation rate in one hundred programs that operate in 50 countries.

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, only a small number of Colgate alumni are still looking for work; in 2023, that group represented less than 3% of the graduating class. A substantial 77% had already landed full-time jobs. Employers hiring the most Colgate grads included Barclays, EY, Goldman Sachs, Massachusetts General Hospital, NIH, and True Search. Alums pursuing further education attended Boston College, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, and NYU.

Academic Highlights: With its small size, the impressive part of the college is the exceptional quality of its offerings, not the breadth of them, as only 37 majors are available. The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, which allows the college to ensure that 69% have fewer than twenty students and 29% have enrollments you can count on two hands. Overall, the average number of students per class is only 17. Study abroad is encouraged, and approximately 65% elect to study in one of 125 programs around the globe. Undergrads working side-by-side with their professors is commonplace as over 60% of faculty have published with student coauthors at some point.

Professional Outcomes: Looking at the outcomes data for recent grads, 67% landed jobs within six months of graduation, 24% were enrolled in a graduate program, and 6% were still seeking employment. Employers of the largest number of Davidson grads include Carolina Healthcare System, Teach for America, the NIH, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Significant numbers of students pursue advanced degrees at other Southern gems including Vanderbilt, Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC. There is also a fair showing of Ivy League acceptances in all graduate disciplines among Wildcat alumni.

Academic Highlights: UCI offers over eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 54% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 70% of students participate in undergraduate research. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program helps students with proposal writing, developing research plans, and presenting their results at the annual spring UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium and/or publishing their results in the UCI Undergraduate Research Journal.

Professional Outcomes: Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Amazon, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, Ernst & Young, and PwC. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The median salary is $70,000, with School of Information and Computer Sciences grads earning $117k right off the bat. 38% of graduates enroll in graduate school, with many choosing to remain at UC Irvine. The majority pursue master’s degrees (89%), with the remainder enrolling in doctorate programs.

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. In essence, the guiding philosophy is that students should take control of their learning, pursue knowledge in areas that they are truly passionate about, and learn to integrate and synthesize information across disciplines. Class sizes tend to be small—67% have fewer than twenty students—and 32% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Student surveys reveal an unsurpassed level of satisfaction with the quality of instruction and professor availability. Undergraduates give favorable reviews in those areas at an overwhelming 92-97% clip.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 63% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Meta. 33% of recent graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Alums tend to settle in major American cities, with most living in New York (44%) and Boston (18%).

Academic Highlights: WashU admits students into four schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs.The university has a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students; over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. The Office of Undergraduate Research helps students land opportunities to research alongside faculty, primarily in the summers. A solid 60% of undergraduates report participating in a research endeavor and one-third study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 sent 65% of grads into the workforce and 23% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Boeing, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Mastercard, Capital One, and Bayer. Of the employed members of the Class of 2023 who reported their starting salaries, the median salary was $85k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, UPenn, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 75 majors are offered across six undergraduate colleges. A solid 61% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, and 18% have single-digit numbers. Just 9% of courses have an enrollment of more than 50 undergrads. The Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement offers hundreds of opportunities for conducting research, both individually and alongside faculty; more than one-third of graduates ultimately partake. One of the top universities for study abroad participation, 87% of Notre Dame undergrads select one of 50+ programs in 35 countries; the satisfaction rate for study abroad experiences is above 90%.

Professional Outcomes: A spectacular 98% of 2023 Notre Dame graduates were employed, continuing their educations, volunteering, or serving in the military within six months of completing their degrees. Top companies where recent alumni set up shop included Deloitte, EY, PwC, Microsoft, Amazon, Bank of America, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and McKinsey & Co. The median starting salary across all majors is $82,000, a mark that is significantly higher than the national average for college grads. The highest concentration of recent alumni can be found in Illinois followed by New York, Indiana, California, and Texas.

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across twelve colleges/schools. Twenty-six percent of sections contain 50 or more students compared to 29% of sections that contain fewer than 20. Still, there are opportunities for personal connections with professors as evidenced by the fact that 80% of graduates complete research during their four years at UW. The study abroad rate of participation has climbed steadily since the turn of the millennium; 3,000 students each year spend a semester in a foreign locale.

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 62% of Class of 2023 grads were employed and 24% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2023 included Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Children’s, and Deloitte. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, most remain at UW itself. Large numbers of 2023 grads also headed to Columbia, UPenn, USC, and Johns Hopkins.

Academic Highlights: Smith has 50 academic departments and programs. With only a small number of graduate students to worry about, 19% of undergraduate sections have single-digit enrollments, and 68% of total class sections enroll fewer than 20 students. Nearly half of all students conduct research with a professor by the time they graduate. Around 35% of juniors spend a semester abroad in one of 150 programs, including Smith-created offerings in Florence, Geneva, Hamburg, and Paris.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 72% of alumnae had found employment. More than 25 alumnae can be found at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Accenture. Within 10 years of graduation, 73% of alumnae had enrolled in graduate or professional studies. Recent Smith graduates attended Columbia, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins. Massachusetts is the most popular destination for grads, with the largest number heading to Boston or staying in Northampton. New York is next in popularity, followed by California.

Academic Highlights: Middlebury offers over 50 majors and the school’s 9:1 student-faculty ratio allows 100% of courses to be taught by professors, not graduate assistants. Most classes are small; the mean class size is 16, and 15% of sections contain fewer than 10 students. The Summer Research at Middlebury program funds 130 students annually to work alongside faculty in a variety of disciplines. Each year, more than 50% of juniors take a semester abroad in one of 75 programs in 40 countries. The college’s robust international program includes Middlebury Schools Abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 74% of the Class of 2023 had landed jobs and 14% were in graduate school. Google and Meta are now two of the leading employers of alumni alongside Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Amazon, and JP Morgan. More than 100 alumni work in the US State Department and more than two dozen presently work for Apple, Microsoft, McKinsey, and Credit Suisse. New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, and San Francisco claim the greatest numbers of Panther alumni.

Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of eight colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 14% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. Undergraduate research opportunities can be challenging to uncover at any large school where graduate students get the prime spots, yet, UVA does offer a multitude of formal opportunities as well as the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium and three undergraduate research journals. The classroom at UVA extends well beyond Charlottesville as one-fifth enjoy a semester abroad through one of fifty programs around the world.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their degree, 86% of the Class of 2023 immediately joined the workforce–with an average starting salary of $82k–or headed directly to graduate school.  Capital One (58), Amazon (45), Deloitte (41), and Accenture (34) scooped up the greatest number of 2023 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Duke.

Academic Highlights: Barnard has a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and a sensational 70% of courses are capped at nineteen or fewer students; 18% have fewer than ten. Many get the chance to engage in research alongside a professor as 280+ undergraduates are granted such an opportunity through the Summer Research Institute each year.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 91% of recent Barnard grads had found employment or were enrolled in a graduate program. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Citibank all appear on the list of the top fifteen employers of Barnard alumni. Those entering graduate school flock in large numbers to Columbia, with 123 heading there over the last three years. Sixteen Barnard students and alumnae were selected as Fulbright recipients in 2024 – making Barnard a top producer of Fulbright scholars for seven years in a row.

Academic Highlights: Vassar students have the choice of 50 majors and no general education requirements, which means that there is plenty of room to explore electives and intellectual passions. An 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 17 students, and 27% of all sections have an enrollment of nine or fewer. Professors are extremely available outside the classroom. Vassar’s Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) has been operational since 1986 and offers a plethora of ten-week research experiences. Study abroad programs are taken advantage of by 45% of students.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of alums enjoy positive outcomes within six months of graduation, with 21% enrolling directly in a graduate or professional degree program. A solid number land at competitive companies like Google, Deloitte, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. Elite universities such as NYU and Harvard are also among the top employers of former students, many of whom earn advanced degrees and enter academia.

Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors offered. Eighteen percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 65% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound, and Wellesley students publish their work at a rate that outshines their peers at comparable institutions. The Summer Science Research Program is cited by many graduates as the most influential part of their educational experience. The Office of International Studies facilitates the overseas study of hundreds of students each year with 45% of students spending a semester in one of 180 programs worldwide.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2023 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 72% of grads who were employed, top employers included Microsoft, BlackRock, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase. Of the 23% of 2023 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included NYU, Boston University, University of Oxford, Yale, and MIT.

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and without any pesky graduate students to get in the way, face time with professors is a regular occurrence. In fact, 27% of all classes have nine or fewer students; 70% have nineteen or fewer. Each summer, approximately 120 students engage in high-level undergraduate research with a faculty member. Approximately half of all Hamilton students study off campus for a semester, with some pursuing domestic programs in NYC, DC, or Boston while others take advantage of international opportunities like the school’s own renowned Chinese language program in Beijing or one of one hundred other approved programs around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Examining the 498 graduates in Hamilton’s Class of 2023, an enviable 96% wasted no time landing jobs, graduate school acceptances, or fellowships. Among the employers welcoming multiple recent graduates aboard were Wayfair, Goldman Sachs, Teach for America, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Kantar Consulting, and Deutsch Bank. Other Hamilton graduates have been accepted into graduate programs at Stanford, USC, the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, and several institutions across the Ivy League.  New York City, Boston, and DC were the most popular destinations.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 198 full-time professors are dedicated to the task of undergraduate education. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students. 71% of classes contain less than 20 students, and only 13 of 440 courses that ran in 2023-24 contained more than 40 students. Small classes also lead to the forging of student-professor bonds that help over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member, and 25% ultimately publish or formally present their work. Each summer, 200 students remain on campus for such an endeavor. Close to 50% of Pomona students travel abroad to one of 69 programs in 39 countries.

Professional Outcomes: 67% of the Class of 2023 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, Amazon, and Apple. Recently, degree-earners have landed jobs at Boston Consulting Group, Alphasights, JP Morgan Chase, and Houlihan Lokey. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 23% of 2023 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, and NYU.

Academic Highlights: An 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to small class sizes with 78% of sections having fewer than twenty students, and 28% of sections enrolling nine students or fewer. The median class size is just 14 students. This type of academic setting leads to close mentoring from professors. Over 500 undergraduates collaborate on research and independent projects with faculty each year. Those electing to study abroad have more than seventy programs to choose from and, in recent years, 33% of students have spent a semester in 30 countries across six continents.

Professional Outcomes: One year after receiving their diplomas, 63% of Bryn Mawr graduates had found employment and a robust 30% had already entered graduate school. Most of the organizations employing the greatest number of alumni are universities and hospital systems, although Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Vanguard do employ a fair number of Bryn Mawr graduates. Among recent grads pursuing further education, 70% were in master’s programs, 20% were already working on their PhD, and 5% were in medical school.

Academic Highlights: Amherst offers a “New Curriculum” that requires no specific courses or distribution of credits. Students have the flexibility to pursue their areas of passion and interest from the very start of their collegiate experience. With no burdensome requirements, double majoring is commonplace with over 30-40% of the student body electing to study at least one additional discipline. The college encourages students to “take full responsibility for their intellectual growth, in the same way they will take responsibility for important choices later in life.”

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 78% of the Class of 2023 were employed full-time, working for employers such as Bain & Company, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Fulbright Program. The average starting salary for Amherst graduates is among the highest-paid liberal arts grads in the country. The schools where the highest number of Amherst grads can be found pursuing advanced degrees include Columbia University, Yale University, and Tufts University.

Academic Highlights: Classes are small, especially when considering the school’s legitimate research university status. Seventeen percent of all courses see fewer than ten students enrolled, and 63% have sub-twenty enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1. Across all colleges, 60% of students participate in a research project at some point during their collegiate experience. . A substantial segment of the student body, 40-45%, study abroad, either at Tufts’ campus in Talloires, one of nine Tufts-sponsored programs in locales such as Chile, Ghana, Hong Kong, and Madrid, or one of eighty pre-approved programs around the globe.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after earning their diplomas, 96% of 2023 graduates were employed or attending graduate school. Prolific employers of Tufts alums include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and McKinsey & Company. Of the 20% of 2023 grads who went directly to graduate school, 82% were accepted into their first-choice institution. Most Tufts alumni remain in the Boston area, but many also head to New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, DC, and Chicago.

Academic Highlights: All freshmen enter the Undergraduate College, which offers 49 majors and 60+ minors. Sporting a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, classes are kept on the small side with 59% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. In addition to research opportunities for credit, students can pursue research fellowships through the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Center (URECA). Wake’s robust study abroad options feature 400 semester, summer, and year-long programs in 200 cities in more than eighty countries worldwide. Undergrads participate at a 60-80% rate, good enough for one of the top five figures among doctoral degree-granting US universities

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 98% of the Class of 2023 had found their next destination, with 65% starting their first professional job and 32% matriculating into a graduate program. Employers landing the highest numbers of alumni included national and multinational corporations Wells Fargo, Deloitte, EY, Bank of America, PwC, and Truist. By the start of mid-career, Wake Forest alumni earn a median salary of $149,600.

Academic Highlights: The college offers over thirty traditional majors as well as additional subjects in which one can pursue a student-designed major. The average class size is a manageable 19 students, and 66% of courses have enrollments lower than that. An undergraduate-only institution, Holy Cross offers ample individualized attention and guidance from faculty. Each year, one hundred students participate in the intensive Weiss Summer Research Program that offers STEM majors the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship from a professor. Across all disciplines, research apprenticeships are available to undergrads as early as the sophomore year. Roughly one-quarter typically take advantage of study abroad opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after moving their tassels to the left, 62% of the Class of 2023 were employed, 21% were in graduate school, and only 7% were still seeking full-time employment. Organizations employing more than one recent graduate include Fidelity Investments, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Massachusetts General Hospital, Deloitte, KPMG, RSM, Oracle, and Dell. The average salary is $68k. New England is the most popular home, keeping over 50% of grads in the area with the Mid-Atlantic region soaking up an additional 30%. Boston and New York City are the two most common destinations.

Academic Highlights: A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is put to good instructional use as roughly two-thirds of courses have fewer than 19 students. The school’s “Jan Plan” tacks on a truncated semester during which students can conduct research alongside faculty, pursue internships, or take an accelerated course; 90% of undergraduates participate. An exceptionally high 70% of students study abroad at some point during their four years at Colby. The college runs three of its own off-campus study programs and allows participation in hundreds of programs in 60 total countries.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 95% of the Class of 2023 had either obtained employment or were enrolled full-time in a graduate program. Eighty percent entered the workforce, working for companies such as Amazon, Brown Brothers Harriman, Accenture, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Fifteen percent continued their studies at prestigious institutions – Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, and Georgetown are a few of the universities where Colby alums can be found.

Academic Highlights: The school’s 26 academic departments offer 37 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled. Many formal opportunities to engage in undergraduate research exist in the summer, during a semester, or as part of one’s senior honors thesis; 40% of students participate in faculty-mentored projects. Over 50% of the junior class connects with the International Education and Study Away program to pinpoint the study abroad opportunity that is right for them. Included on that menu is the opportunity to study at Oxford for an entire year.

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2023, 93% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Top professional destinations include Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Co., Harvard Medical School, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The median annual income for grads early in their career was $85,800. 14% pursue an advanced degree, with alumni attending graduate programs at Brown, Columbia, and Harvard.

Academic Highlights: For a large university with a heavy presence of graduate students, Georgetown maintains a personalized and intimate learning environment. The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 62% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students. While some classes are a bit larger, only 6% cross the 50-student threshold. There are many ways that students can seek funding for independent research projects or become an assistant to faculty members via the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Summer research can lead to the completion of a senior thesis that can be presented at the College Academic Council Research Colloquium every spring. Each year, 1,000+ Hoya undergrads participate in one of the school’s 200+ study abroad programs that are spread across 50+ countries.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 72% of members of the Class of 2023 entered the workforce, 20% went directly into a graduate or professional program of study, and 5% were still seeking employment. The Class of 2023 sent graduates to a number of major corporations including Bank of America (18), JP Morgan Chase (18), Deloitte (15), Citi (13), and Morgan Stanley (13). Those attending grad school stay at Georgetown or flock to other elite schools like Columbia and NYU. By far, New York and remaining in DC are the two most popular postgraduate destinations, although a fair number also migrate to Virginia, California, Massachusetts, Texas, and Maryland. The financial picture for Georgetown graduates is rosy. Average starting salaries fall well above the national average.

Academic Highlights: Aided by a favorable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the school does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities. Each school/college has a course entitled Directed Research 490 in which students work closely with a faculty supervisor and earn between two and eight credits, countless other opportunities exist to get one’s hands dirty in academic research. Each department has its own slate of study abroad offerings and Maymester programs, which are short-term intensive courses held stateside and abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 93% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The median salary across all majors is an astounding $85k. Presently, between 500 and 2,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, and Oracle. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2023 USC grads include Columbia, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Harvard, with most remaining at USC for their advanced studies.

Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 270 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 59% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. The school puts a great deal of money into undergraduate research, and it has been running an Undergraduate Research Conference for over forty years. Summer research opportunities are plentiful, including through the School of Engineering’s ten-week summer research program for rising juniors and seniors. With more than 4,000 students studying in foreign countries each year, NYU sends more undergrads abroad than any other US university.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had landed at their next destination, with 71% employed and 26% in graduate school. Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Meta, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs. The mean starting salary is $76,011. New York is (by more than ten times) the most popular destination over number two choice California. New Jersey, Texas, and Massachusetts were next in attracting the highest numbers of recent alumni.

Academic Highlights: Rather than the typical semester schedule, Colorado College operates on the “block plan,” a series of eight three-and-half-week periods during which students take only one course. You won’t find a more intimate liberal arts college than CC. Classes have a cap of 25 students, and no more than a handful of courses exceed that figure. The average class consists of 16 students. Research opportunities are built into the academic program as 20% of CC classes involve some degree of undergraduate research. Another 6% of students receive stipends to conduct research. Tigers appear unafraid to go into the world and immerse themselves in other cultures as a healthy 74% study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2023, an impressive 96% arrived successfully at their next destination within six months of earning their diploma. Being a small school, Colorado College does not send massive numbers of graduates to any one company or organization, but there are employers that have wrangled their fair share of Tigers. That list includes Adobe, Wells Fargo, CBRE, Amazon, Google, and the Democratic National Committee. Roughly one-quarter of grads stay in the state of Colorado while the majority migrate to major cities across the United States with San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles among the most popular destinations.