Rankings by major · 389 schools scored

Best colleges for history

Every school we cover is scored 0–100 for history. The score blends how graduates in the major do four years out against the national norm for the same major, the strength of the student body, how many undergraduate courses the department lists, and the size of the program. Small programs (under five graduates a year) are capped. 80 and up is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Many history students go on to graduate or medical school, which early-career pay undercounts, so read this one alongside the school's overall strength.

The top history schools: Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University.

Top 100 colleges for history
Rank	School	Score (0–100)	Tier	Graduates per year in the major	Share of the class	Pay vs. national, same major	Acceptance rate
1	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	99	Standout	161	9.5%	1.39×	4%
2	Princeton University Princeton, NJ	98	Standout	72	5.7%	1.59×	4%
3	Yale University New Haven, CT	93	Standout	96	6.8%	2.17×	5%
3	Williams College Williamstown, MA	93	Standout	55	10.7%	1.17×	9%
5	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	92	Standout	49	2.3%	1.39×	11%
5	Amherst College Amherst, MA	92	Standout	28	5.5%	2.04×	9%
7	Duke University Durham, NC	91	Standout	45	2.4%	2.22×	5%
8	Columbia University New York, NY	90	Standout	152	6.9%	1.94×	5%
8	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	90	Standout	70	4%	1.27×	4%
8	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	90	Standout	54	1.9%	1.75×	5%
8	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME	90	Standout	26	5.9%	–	7%
8	Davidson College Davidson, NC	90	Standout	23	4.9%	–	13%
13	Georgetown University Washington, DC	89	Standout	48	2.7%	1.49×	13%
14	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA	88	Standout	16	4.9%	–	9%
15	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	87	Standout	53	3.1%	1.38×	6%
15	Barnard College New York, NY	87	Standout	39	5.4%	1.23×	9%
15	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	87	Standout	39	5.2%	1.50×	14%
15	Wesleyan University Middletown, CT	87	Standout	27	3.4%	–	16%
15	Colby College Waterville, ME	87	Standout	21	4%	–	7%
15	Haverford College Haverford, PA	87	Standout	17	5.6%	–	12%
21	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	86	Standout	107	1.3%	1.22×	16%
21	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	86	Standout	41	3.9%	2.69×	6%
21	Tufts University Medford, MA	86	Standout	36	2.4%	1.29×	11%
21	Stanford University Stanford, CA	86	Standout	25	1.6%	–	4%
21	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	86	Standout	23	4.7%	–	14%
26	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC	85	Standout	123	2.5%	1.14×	17%
26	Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO	85	Standout	37	2%	–	12%
28	Brown University Providence, RI	84	Standout	63	3.8%	1.69×	5%
28	Wake Forest University Winston Salem, NC	84	Standout	31	2.4%	–	22%
30	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	83	Standout	52	2.5%	1.56×	7%
30	Oberlin College Oberlin, OH	83	Standout	45	6.9%	1.20×	34%
30	Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA	83	Standout	44	2.1%	–	14%
30	United States Military Academy at West Point West Point, NY	83	Standout	35	3.3%	–	12%
30	Emory University Atlanta, GA	83	Standout	32	1.5%	1.38×	10%
30	Trinity College Hartford, CT	83	Standout	19	3.7%	–	30%
30	Bates College Lewiston, ME	83	Standout	16	3.4%	–	13%
30	Carleton College Northfield, MN	83	Standout	15	3.1%	–	20%
38	University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	82	Standout	240	2.6%	1.18×	9%
38	William & Mary Williamsburg, VA	82	Standout	114	7.2%	1.26×	34%
38	New York University New York, NY	82	Standout	82	1.2%	1.47×	9%
38	Trinity University San Antonio, TX	82	Standout	22	3.8%	–	26%
38	Smith College Northampton, MA	82	Standout	20	3.4%	0.93×	21%
38	Rice University Houston, TX	82	Standout	17	1.7%	–	8%
44	George Washington University Washington, DC	81	Standout	54	1.8%	1.40×	47%
44	United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD	81	Standout	40	3.6%	–	9%
46	University of Washington Seattle, WA	80	Standout	151	1.7%	1.20×	39%
46	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA	80	Standout	36	4.8%	1.43×	18%
46	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	80	Standout	16	2.5%	1.18×	19%
49	Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA	79	Strong	44	11.5%	1.43×	74%
49	Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI	79	Strong	36	11.3%	–	21%
49	Kenyon College Gambier, OH	79	Strong	24	5.2%	–	31%
49	Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA	79	Strong	19	3.3%	–	36%
49	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	79	Strong	18	1.3%	–	8%
49	Lafayette College Easton, PA	79	Strong	18	2.6%	–	31%
49	Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA	79	Strong	17	3.8%	1.97×	14%
49	University of Richmond Richmond, VA	79	Strong	16	2.1%	–	22%
57	University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA	78	Strong	105	1.2%	1.28×	11%
57	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA	78	Strong	69	2.9%	1.58×	16%
57	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	78	Strong	41	1.2%	1.28×	46%
57	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	78	Strong	23	1.2%	–	48%
57	Furman University Greenville, SC	78	Strong	21	3.5%	–	43%
57	United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO	78	Strong	21	2.1%	–	14%
57	Union College Schenectady, NY	78	Strong	17	3.5%	–	44%
64	University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA	77	Strong	113	2.5%	1.40×	17%
64	The University of Texas–Austin Austin, TX	77	Strong	104	1%	1.12×	27%
64	University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA	77	Strong	92	1.9%	1.06×	59%
64	University of Delaware Newark, DE	77	Strong	63	1.4%	1.09×	71%
64	Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY	77	Strong	22	4.7%	1.20×	64%
64	The Catholic University of America Washington, DC	77	Strong	21	2.7%	1.05×	83%
70	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	76	Strong	94	1.2%	1.08×	80%
70	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	76	Strong	77	1.4%	1.58×	10%
70	University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA	76	Strong	24	5.4%	1.19×	72%
70	Denison University Granville, OH	76	Strong	18	3.3%	–	17%
70	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA	76	Strong	17	3.3%	1.14×	42%
70	Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO	76	Strong	16	3.2%	–	18%
76	The University of the South Sewanee, TN	75	Strong	30	7.5%	–	57%
76	Brandeis University Waltham, MA	75	Strong	28	3.3%	1.17×	40%
76	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	75	Strong	16	1.8%	–	29%
79	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	74	Strong	72	1.3%	1.12×	54%
79	Fordham University New York, NY	74	Strong	55	2.4%	1.43×	59%
79	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	74	Strong	38	1.9%	1.17×	87%
79	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	74	Strong	24	0.6%	1.62×	9%
83	University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI	73	Strong	153	2.1%	1.15×	45%
83	North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC	73	Strong	58	0.9%	0.98×	42%
83	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	73	Strong	33	5.2%	1.04×	40%
83	American University Washington, DC	73	Strong	29	1.6%	1.18×	62%
83	Villanova University Villanova, PA	73	Strong	26	1.5%	1.11×	28%
83	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY	73	Strong	21	3.7%	–	24%
89	St. Olaf College Northfield, MN	72	Strong	24	3.4%	0.84×	43%
89	Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO	72	Strong	20	1.3%	–	75%
91	Boston University Boston, MA	71	Strong	39	0.8%	1.18×	13%
91	Baylor University Waco, TX	71	Strong	35	1.1%	1.12×	52%
91	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	71	Strong	26	1.1%	–	48%
91	Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH	71	Strong	15	1.2%	–	35%
95	University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	70	Strong	159	2.5%	1.17×	38%
95	University of Massachusetts–Amherst Amherst, MA	70	Strong	89	1.4%	1.12×	60%
95	University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	70	Strong	73	0.8%	1.22×	29%
95	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	70	Strong	52	1%	0.92×	80%
99	University at Buffalo–SUNY Buffalo, NY	69	Strong	93	1.8%	1.00×	81%
99	University of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore, MD	69	Strong	49	1.8%	1.11×	72%

289 more schools are on the full history ranking.

How this ranking works

Updated October 13, 2026. Sources: early-career pay for graduates of each program, by field of study (College Scorecard), graduates per year in the major (IPEDS), undergraduate courses listed in each department's current catalog, and the student body's test scores. Inputs that are missing for a school are dropped and the rest reweighted; programs with fewer than five graduates a year are capped at 30. Scores are relative to the other schools covered, from 0 to 100.

To cite: prefrosh.ai, "Best colleges for history," updated October 13, 2026, https://prefrosh.ai/majors/history. For a specific student's chances at these schools, use Chance me, which reads odds from the student's own high school's admissions chart.

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Best colleges for history

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