College Rankings

Best History Schools

The top 25 of 394 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate History degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.

Is History worth it?

A history degree is wildly valuable, but only if you understand the two distinct ways it actually pays off. Because the major doesn't feed directly into a licensed, entry-level profession like nursing or engineering, a history student relies heavily on either institutional prestige or rock-bottom tuition to make the math work. If you look at the top of the board, the winners are a bifurcated mix. On one end, you have ultra-elite private colleges with massive endowments that funnel graduates into top-tier law schools and management consulting. On the other end, you have hyper-affordable regional public universities where students can graduate with virtually no debt. If you pay full retail price at a mid-tier private college for a history degree, you will likely struggle to see a return. But if you leverage an Ivy League Wall Street pipeline or a state school's local government connections, the payoff is stellar.

Filter by state

#	School	State	Score	Median earnings	Net price / yr	10-yr net ROI
1	Amherst College	MA	75	$56,444	$23,367	+$471K
2	Harvard University	MA	71	$53,468	$19,066	+$458K
3	Vanderbilt University	TN	69	$46,856	$15,846	+$405K
4	Dartmouth College	NH	67	$61,127	$29,519	+$493K
5	Duke University	NC	64	$60,750	$29,612	+$489K
6	CUNY Lehman College	NY	64	$43,874	$3,148†	+$426K
7	University of Pennsylvania	PA	62	$48,555	$28,699	+$371K
8	University of Chicago	IL	62	$46,616	$14,860	+$407K
9	Columbia University in the City of New York	NY	60	$53,828	$21,590	+$452K
10	Cornell University	NY	60	$44,706	$28,690	+$332K
11	Princeton University	NJ	59	$45,363	$6,128	+$429K
12	Brown University	RI	59	$42,296	$25,184	+$322K
13	The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	58	$44,806	$13,951†	+$392K
14	University of Houston-Clear Lake	TX	57	$57,239	$15,563†	+$510K
15	Virginia Military Institute	VA	57	$42,543	$17,113†	+$357K
16	Northwestern University	IL	56	$50,161	$29,167	+$385K
17	Grinnell College	IA	56	$39,687	$17,648	+$326K
18	University of Notre Dame	IN	56	$39,522	$26,780	+$288K
19	Brigham Young University	UT	56	$38,643	$15,564	+$324K
20	University of North Georgia	GA	56	$38,226	$9,823†	+$343K
21	California State University-Northridge	CA	56	$37,031	$7,021†	+$342K
22	Nevada State University	NV	55	$50,149	$14,068†	+$445K
23	The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	55	$37,450	$18,267†	+$301K
24	University of Massachusetts-Boston	MA	54	$46,908	$17,707†	+$398K
25	Wayne State University	MI	54	$41,874	$12,766†	+$368K
26	University of Houston-Downtown	TX	54	$37,246	$10,542†	+$330K
27	CUNY Hunter College	NY	54	$28,790	$2,984†	+$276K
28	University of Maryland-College Park	MD	53	$42,020	$15,678†	+$357K
29	CUNY Queens College	NY	53	$27,769	$4,195†	+$261K
30	Fitchburg State University	MA	52	$46,184	$14,262†	+$405K
31	New Jersey City University	NJ	52	$40,919	$16,053†	+$345K
32	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater	WI	52	$40,807	$14,158†	+$351K
33	University of Houston	TX	52	$39,240	$14,276†	+$335K
34	California State University-Sacramento	CA	52	$32,596	$9,338†	+$289K
35	California State University-Stanislaus	CA	52	$32,184	$6,067†	+$298K
36	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	52	$31,215	$13,138†	+$260K
37	Yale University	CT	51	$54,700	$23,777	+$452K
38	Norwich University	VT	51	$42,940	$22,257	+$340K
39	Citadel Military College of South Carolina	SC	51	$42,712	$20,723†	+$344K
40	Kean University	NJ	51	$34,934	$12,447†	+$300K
41	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	51	$34,592	$11,655†	+$299K
42	CUNY City College	NY	51	$30,290	$3,776†	+$288K
43	College of the Holy Cross	MA	50	$42,345	$38,782	+$268K
44	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	50	$33,264	$10,836†	+$289K
45	Rider University	NJ	49	$46,393	$24,792	+$365K
46	University of Southern Indiana	IN	49	$40,692	$12,923†	+$355K
47	Towson University	MD	49	$40,162	$17,413†	+$332K
48	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	49	$39,604	$15,300†	+$335K
49	University of Nebraska at Kearney	NE	49	$39,340	$16,242†	+$328K
50	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	49	$39,283	$14,967†	+$333K
51	Saginaw Valley State University	MI	49	$38,628	$10,775†	+$343K
52	University of North Texas	TX	49	$36,568	$15,649†	+$303K
53	Oakland University	MI	49	$36,257	$9,120†	+$326K
54	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	49	$35,959	$17,354†	+$290K
55	University of Wyoming	WY	49	$35,450	$13,599†	+$300K
56	University of Central Florida	FL	49	$34,335	$10,411†	+$302K
57	University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	49	$34,028	$21,565†	+$254K
58	Sonoma State University	CA	49	$31,992	$12,885†	+$268K
59	California State University-East Bay	CA	49	$31,059	$9,320†	+$273K
60	Texas A & M International University	TX	49	$29,180	$3,637†	+$277K
61	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	49	$28,116	$12,548†	+$231K
62	University of Florida	FL	49	$27,360	$6,541†	+$247K
63	CUNY Brooklyn College	NY	49	$18,674	$3,103†	+$174K
64	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	48	$42,899	$21,315†	+$344K
65	New York University	NY	48	$39,636	$37,050	+$248K
66	Troy University	AL	48	$39,591	$16,527†	+$330K
67	George Washington University	DC	48	$38,927	$36,586	+$243K
68	Texas Tech University	TX	48	$38,687	$19,070†	+$311K
69	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	CO	48	$38,627	$11,900†	+$339K
70	Worcester State University	MA	48	$38,028	$13,381†	+$327K
71	Texas State University	TX	48	$37,741	$16,805†	+$310K
72	Stony Brook University	NY	48	$36,426	$18,784†	+$289K
73	University of Nebraska at Omaha	NE	48	$36,401	$13,441†	+$310K
74	Indiana University-Indianapolis	IN	48	$31,526	$11,668†	+$269K
75	University of California-Berkeley	CA	48	$28,849	$13,481†	+$235K
76	California State University-Dominguez Hills	CA	48	$27,975	$8,615†	+$245K
77	Boston College	MA	47	$41,341	$41,704	+$247K
78	Wabash College	IN	47	$39,138	$24,336	+$294K
79	Old Dominion University	VA	47	$36,733	$14,638†	+$309K
80	Austin Peay State University	TN	47	$34,456	$9,735†	+$306K
81	Sam Houston State University	TX	47	$34,016	$16,404†	+$275K
82	Northern Illinois University	IL	47	$33,288	$13,391†	+$279K
83	Dalton State College	GA	47	$32,899	$5,012†	+$309K
84	Florida International University	FL	47	$31,835	$9,288†	+$281K
85	Montclair State University	NJ	47	$31,607	$15,566†	+$254K
86	William & Mary	VA	47	$31,595	$19,096†	+$240K
87	San Francisco State University	CA	47	$28,718	$12,278†	+$238K
88	Georgetown University	DC	46	$49,876	$40,815	+$336K
89	Monmouth University	NJ	46	$48,482	$30,988	+$361K
90	Barnard College	NY	46	$48,092	$28,800	+$366K
91	University of Kansas	KS	46	$42,451	$18,059†	+$352K
92	University of Southern California	CA	46	$36,876	$32,740	+$238K
93	University of West Georgia	GA	46	$35,074	$12,786†	+$300K
94	Western Carolina University	NC	46	$34,909	$13,315†	+$296K
95	University of Delaware	DE	46	$34,753	$17,799†	+$276K
96	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	46	$33,981	$15,927†	+$276K
97	SUNY Old Westbury	NY	46	$33,901	$11,282†	+$294K
98	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	46	$33,763	$18,745†	+$263K
99	University of South Florida	FL	46	$33,474	$9,812†	+$295K
100	University of Illinois Springfield	IL	46	$33,297	$9,833†	+$294K
101	Colorado State University Pueblo	CO	46	$32,603	$10,051†	+$286K
102	Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	46	$31,880	$16,264†	+$254K
103	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus	CT	46	$27,581	$10,875†	+$232K
104	California State University-Fullerton	CA	46	$27,083	$6,555†	+$245K
105	California State University-San Bernardino	CA	46	$24,077	$4,564†	+$223K
106	University of California-Irvine	CA	46	$23,480	$14,251†	+$178K
107	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	45	$42,785	$15,327†	+$367K
108	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	45	$42,297	$18,743†	+$348K
109	Providence College	RI	45	$41,923	$48,523	+$225K
110	Angelo State University	TX	45	$34,519	$15,091†	+$285K
111	Bridgewater State University	MA	45	$34,215	$16,383†	+$277K
112	Rutgers University-Newark	NJ	45	$33,763	$19,703†	+$259K
113	Ramapo College of New Jersey	NJ	45	$33,145	$18,173†	+$259K
114	University of California-Davis	CA	45	$31,895	$14,741†	+$260K
115	Stephen F Austin State University	TX	45	$31,652	$14,260†	+$259K
116	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	45	$31,540	$16,665†	+$249K
117	Washington State University	WA	45	$31,220	$14,971†	+$252K
118	University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online	NH	45	$28,663	$10,864†	+$243K
119	California State University-Los Angeles	CA	45	$26,862	$3,967†	+$253K
120	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus	WA	45	$26,261	$10,163†	+$222K
121	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	CA	45	$25,728	$11,531†	+$211K
122	Hampden-Sydney College	VA	44	$42,949	$22,400	+$340K
123	Northeastern Illinois University	IL	44	$39,102	$14,109†	+$335K
124	San Diego State University	CA	44	$38,203	$15,364†	+$321K
125	SUNY Oneonta	NY	44	$36,625	$19,158†	+$290K
126	Loyola University Maryland	MD	44	$36,547	$30,574	+$243K
127	University of Northern Colorado	CO	44	$35,403	$17,760†	+$283K
128	Kansas State University	KS	44	$33,744	$19,406†	+$260K
129	The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	44	$30,230	$9,403†	+$265K
130	University of Illinois Chicago	IL	44	$26,474	$10,974†	+$221K
131	Florida Atlantic University	FL	44	$24,639	$8,752†	+$211K
132	California State University-Channel Islands	CA	44	$24,134	$9,849†	+$202K
133	University of California-San Diego	CA	44	$21,713	$12,470†	+$167K
134	Grand Canyon University	AZ	43	$43,596	$22,472	+$346K
135	Iowa State University	IA	43	$41,294	$18,589†	+$339K
136	Illinois State University	IL	43	$40,465	$19,398†	+$327K
137	University of Southern Maine	ME	43	$36,876	$13,596†	+$314K
138	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	43	$34,495	$19,857†	+$266K
139	Emory University	GA	43	$33,710	$22,585	+$247K
140	Southern Methodist University	TX	43	$33,550	$40,892	+$172K
141	University at Albany	NY	43	$32,174	$17,167†	+$253K
142	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	43	$29,749	$16,109†	+$233K
143	Northern Kentucky University	KY	43	$29,619	$8,191†	+$263K
144	University of Connecticut-Avery Point	CT	43	$27,581	$13,807†	+$221K
145	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	43	$26,436	$14,355†	+$207K
146	Minnesota State University-Mankato	MN	42	$39,186	$19,139†	+$315K
147	University of Colorado Colorado Springs	CO	42	$38,276	$15,788†	+$320K
148	Eastern Washington University	WA	42	$36,126	$13,886†	+$306K
149	SUNY Buffalo State University	NY	42	$35,822	$11,346†	+$313K
150	Middle Tennessee State University	TN	42	$35,391	$13,359†	+$300K
151	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus	OR	42	$34,589	$18,048†	+$274K
152	University of Iowa	IA	42	$33,117	$22,531†	+$241K
153	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	42	$32,999	$19,151†	+$253K
154	Rhode Island College	RI	42	$31,981	$9,478†	+$282K
155	East Central University	OK	42	$31,159	$8,683†	+$277K
156	University of California-Riverside	CA	42	$29,824	$14,304†	+$241K
157	Florida State University	FL	42	$27,944	$11,297†	+$234K
158	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	TX	42	$26,081	$4,831†	+$241K
159	California State University-Fresno	CA	42	$21,642	$7,000†	+$188K
160	Lander University	SC	41	$36,613	$15,363†	+$305K
161	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	41	$36,272	$21,279†	+$278K
162	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	41	$35,947	$14,559†	+$301K
163	Oregon State University	OR	41	$34,589	$19,604†	+$267K
164	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	41	$33,763	$24,406†	+$240K
165	Texas A&M University-San Antonio	TX	41	$33,392	$11,196†	+$289K
166	East Carolina University	NC	41	$33,219	$15,739†	+$269K
167	Mount Saint Mary College	NY	41	$32,383	$25,522	+$222K
168	University of Maryland Global Campus	MD	41	$31,852	$22,063†	+$230K
169	University of Memphis	TN	41	$30,652	$12,397†	+$257K
170	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth	MA	41	$30,581	$20,927†	+$222K
171	Salem State University	MA	41	$29,307	$15,996†	+$229K
172	University of Georgia	GA	41	$26,983	$13,936†	+$214K
173	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	41	$26,261	$14,091†	+$206K
174	Ohio University-Eastern Campus	OH	41	$24,075	$3,925†	+$225K
175	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV	41	$16,100	$10,359†	+$120K
176	American University	DC	40	$43,809	$41,943	+$270K
177	Middlebury College	VT	40	$40,195	$31,483	+$276K
178	Longwood University	VA	40	$37,404	$19,066†	+$298K
179	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	NC	40	$33,791	$15,435†	+$276K
180	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	40	$33,251	$17,303†	+$263K
181	University of Montevallo	AL	40	$32,263	$17,683†	+$252K
182	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	40	$32,201	$15,014†	+$262K
183	Eastern Illinois University	IL	40	$32,149	$12,786†	+$270K
184	SUNY College at Geneseo	NY	40	$28,664	$18,211†	+$214K
185	University of Connecticut-Stamford	CT	40	$27,581	$16,798†	+$209K
186	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus	CT	40	$27,581	$16,403†	+$210K
187	George Mason University	VA	40	$25,992	$17,915†	+$188K
188	California State University-Long Beach	CA	40	$25,014	$10,440†	+$208K
189	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus	OH	40	$24,075	$5,755†	+$218K
190	Ohio University-Southern Campus	OH	40	$24,075	$5,993†	+$217K
191	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus	OH	40	$24,075	$5,650†	+$218K
192	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus	OH	40	$24,075	$5,746†	+$218K
193	Tufts University	MA	39	$41,447	$39,998	+$254K
194	Clemson University	SC	39	$36,199	$22,253†	+$273K
195	St Lawrence University	NY	39	$35,230	$28,651	+$238K
196	Rowan University	NJ	39	$35,150	$22,408†	+$262K
197	Framingham State University	MA	39	$34,836	$16,114†	+$284K
198	The University of Texas at Tyler	TX	39	$34,269	$13,323†	+$289K
199	Brandeis University	MA	39	$33,903	$35,736	+$196K
200	Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania	PA	39	$33,634	$15,699†	+$274K
201	South Dakota State University	SD	39	$33,135	$19,841†	+$252K
202	Kennesaw State University	GA	39	$32,752	$15,048†	+$267K
203	Valdosta State University	GA	39	$32,340	$10,945†	+$280K
204	State University of New York at Cortland	NY	39	$30,192	$22,345†	+$213K
205	Kent State University at Stark	OH	39	$28,476	$10,897†	+$241K
206	University of Massachusetts-Lowell	MA	39	$27,586	$17,163†	+$207K
207	University of West Florida	FL	39	$27,340	$9,364†	+$236K
208	Ohio State University-Marion Campus	OH	39	$26,663	$11,488†	+$221K
209	Portland State University	OR	39	$24,612	$9,552†	+$208K
210	Columbia College	MO	38	$40,054	$22,715	+$310K
211	Vassar College	NY	38	$38,461	$39,343	+$227K
212	Central Washington University	WA	38	$35,747	$18,476†	+$284K
213	University of Rhode Island	RI	38	$34,319	$21,440†	+$257K
214	University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	38	$33,081	$17,890†	+$259K
215	Northern Michigan University	MI	38	$32,675	$14,085†	+$270K
216	Hobart William Smith Colleges	NY	38	$30,710	$31,563	+$181K
217	California State University-Chico	CA	38	$30,697	$14,480†	+$249K
218	University of Arizona	AZ	38	$30,592	$16,674†	+$239K
219	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	38	$29,793	$15,489†	+$236K
220	Eastern Kentucky University	KY	38	$29,346	$11,040†	+$249K
221	University of Kentucky	KY	38	$28,432	$18,851†	+$209K
222	University of Utah	UT	38	$28,277	$16,200†	+$218K
223	Western Kentucky University	KY	38	$27,177	$10,990†	+$228K
224	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	TN	38	$26,952	$14,265†	+$212K
225	Ohio State University-Lima Campus	OH	38	$26,663	$12,940†	+$215K
226	University of North Florida	FL	38	$25,689	$10,154†	+$216K
227	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	37	$37,044	$25,346†	+$269K
228	Marquette University	WI	37	$36,907	$31,487	+$243K
229	DePaul University	IL	37	$36,889	$30,902	+$245K
230	University of Denver	CO	37	$36,774	$36,131	+$223K
231	Presbyterian College	SC	37	$35,265	$20,528	+$271K
232	Southern Connecticut State University	CT	37	$34,858	$20,857†	+$265K
233	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania	PA	37	$34,682	$19,608†	+$268K
234	Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	37	$34,460	$23,726†	+$250K
235	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	37	$33,319	$24,953†	+$233K
236	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	37	$33,013	$17,747†	+$259K
237	Central Michigan University	MI	37	$33,000	$17,597†	+$260K
238	University of Mary Washington	VA	37	$31,965	$20,667†	+$237K
239	Utah State University	UT	37	$31,768	$14,936†	+$258K
240	Bloomfield College of Montclair State University	NJ	37	$31,607	$28,014†	+$204K
241	Central Connecticut State University	CT	37	$30,301	$16,857†	+$236K
242	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	IL	37	$30,101	$13,297†	+$248K
243	Radford University	VA	37	$28,239	$14,578†	+$224K
244	University of Northern Iowa	IA	37	$27,569	$15,901†	+$212K
245	University of Arkansas-Fort Smith	AR	37	$26,445	$10,574†	+$222K
246	University of Miami	FL	36	$35,633	$37,244	+$207K
247	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	PA	36	$32,976	$16,804†	+$263K
248	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay	WI	36	$32,930	$13,369†	+$276K
249	Michigan State University	MI	36	$32,434	$19,680†	+$246K
250	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh	WI	36	$32,259	$14,305†	+$265K
251	Saint Anselm College	NH	36	$32,228	$34,779	+$183K
252	Southeastern Louisiana University	LA	36	$31,798	$13,154†	+$265K
253	Loyola University Chicago	IL	36	$31,079	$36,079	+$166K
254	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg	PA	36	$29,591	$17,945†	+$224K
255	Jacksonville State University	AL	36	$29,057	$14,279†	+$233K
256	James Madison University	VA	36	$29,000	$23,322†	+$197K
257	University of North Carolina Asheville	NC	36	$28,205	$12,250†	+$233K
258	University of Arkansas	AR	36	$27,873	$18,209†	+$206K
259	Murray State University	KY	36	$27,831	$9,096†	+$242K
260	Binghamton University	NY	36	$24,498	$21,620†	+$158K
261	West Virginia University	WV	36	$24,215	$15,634†	+$180K
262	California State University-San Marcos	CA	36	$22,407	$10,229†	+$183K
263	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	35	$37,734	$36,708	+$231K
264	Nazareth University	NY	35	$37,677	$29,357	+$259K
265	Temple University	PA	35	$33,586	$28,198†	+$223K
266	Bridgewater College	VA	35	$32,771	$17,800	+$257K
267	Georgia State University	GA	35	$32,602	$15,931†	+$262K
268	University of Akron Main Campus	OH	35	$32,577	$13,946†	+$270K
269	Millersville University of Pennsylvania	PA	35	$30,792	$20,787†	+$225K
270	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	35	$29,591	$18,202†	+$223K
271	State University of New York at Plattsburgh	NY	35	$28,400	$17,156†	+$215K
272	State University of New York at Oswego	NY	35	$28,242	$16,236†	+$217K
273	University of North Alabama	AL	35	$27,927	$12,170†	+$231K
274	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	35	$26,996	$20,268†	+$189K
275	Ohio State University-Newark Campus	OH	35	$26,663	$14,767†	+$208K
276	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	NC	35	$25,089	$10,965†	+$207K
277	Truman State University	MO	35	$25,010	$12,780†	+$199K
278	Lycoming College	PA	34	$35,026	$19,140	+$274K
279	Liberty University	VA	34	$33,456	$29,357	+$217K
280	University of Central Oklahoma	OK	34	$32,127	$18,309†	+$248K
281	University of Maine	ME	34	$31,357	$17,510†	+$244K
282	Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi	TX	34	$30,650	$15,225†	+$246K
283	Stockton University	NJ	34	$28,897	$20,670†	+$206K
284	Augusta University	GA	34	$28,689	$13,787†	+$232K
285	Winthrop University	SC	34	$28,322	$15,343†	+$222K
286	University of Vermont	VT	34	$28,254	$19,343†	+$205K
287	Salisbury University	MD	34	$27,873	$17,743†	+$208K
288	University of North Carolina at Pembroke	NC	34	$27,241	$10,260†	+$231K
289	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	IL	34	$26,916	$14,889†	+$210K
290	Georgia Southern University	GA	34	$26,784	$15,267†	+$207K
291	Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus	OH	34	$26,663	$16,197†	+$202K
292	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	34	$26,635	$16,778†	+$199K
293	University of Scranton	PA	34	$26,442	$32,568	+$134K
294	The University of Alabama	AL	34	$25,533	$22,420†	+$166K
295	Westfield State University	MA	34	$24,879	$16,721†	+$182K
296	University of Missouri-Kansas City	MO	34	$24,289	$13,310†	+$190K
297	Connecticut College	CT	33	$34,657	$36,175	+$202K
298	Syracuse University	NY	33	$34,610	$38,793	+$191K
299	Boise State University	ID	33	$34,568	$21,610†	+$259K
300	Wheaton College (Massachusetts)	MA	33	$32,896	$29,822	+$210K
301	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	33	$30,522	$17,447†	+$235K
302	Cleveland State University	OH	33	$29,535	$14,764†	+$236K
303	Christopher Newport University	VA	33	$29,386	$23,015†	+$202K
304	Siena University	NY	33	$29,134	$33,733	+$156K
305	University at Buffalo	NY	33	$28,857	$20,995†	+$205K
306	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Abington	PA	33	$28,803	$18,071†	+$216K
307	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	33	$28,663	$23,805†	+$191K
308	Ball State University	IN	33	$28,444	$14,940†	+$225K
309	Eastern Michigan University	MI	33	$28,414	$15,407†	+$223K
310	University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	33	$28,121	$18,749†	+$206K
311	University of Missouri-St Louis	MO	33	$27,851	$15,071†	+$218K
312	University of Connecticut	CT	33	$27,581	$25,097†	+$175K
313	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	33	$26,805	$22,383†	+$179K
314	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	33	$26,663	$17,339†	+$197K
315	The College of New Jersey	NJ	33	$26,218	$27,646†	+$152K
316	Hofstra University	NY	33	$23,113	$34,176	+$94K
317	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	32	$31,217	$25,648†	+$210K
318	Baldwin Wallace University	OH	32	$31,163	$27,603	+$201K
319	Wofford College	SC	32	$30,189	$18,732	+$227K
320	University of South Alabama	AL	32	$29,744	$17,648†	+$227K
321	Northern Arizona University	AZ	32	$28,862	$14,158†	+$232K
322	Pennsylvania State University-World Campus	PA	32	$28,803	$19,550†	+$210K
323	Smith College	MA	32	$26,131	$27,579	+$151K
324	Coastal Carolina University	SC	32	$24,172	$13,966†	+$186K
325	Willamette University	OR	32	$22,555	$25,121	+$125K
326	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	LA	32	$21,750	$13,530†	+$163K
327	Auburn University	AL	31	$30,458	$24,323†	+$207K
328	Duquesne University	PA	31	$29,451	$37,730	+$144K
329	St. Mary's College of Maryland	MD	31	$28,929	$18,441†	+$216K
330	The University of Montana	MT	31	$28,508	$16,784†	+$218K
331	College of Charleston	SC	31	$28,449	$18,960†	+$209K
332	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	WI	31	$28,013	$16,210†	+$215K
333	East Tennessee State University	TN	31	$27,799	$15,983†	+$214K
334	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	31	$27,652	$22,811†	+$185K
335	Eastern Connecticut State University	CT	31	$26,186	$21,067†	+$178K
336	University of California-Merced	CA	31	$26,103	$11,983†	+$213K
337	University of Louisville	KY	31	$22,047	$17,988†	+$149K
338	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	CA	31	$20,972	$13,171†	+$157K
339	Allegheny College	PA	31	$20,713	$22,940	+$115K
340	Fordham University	NY	31	$20,075	$44,338	+$23K
341	University of Puget Sound	WA	30	$29,909	$38,394	+$146K
342	Montana State University	MT	30	$29,692	$22,499†	+$207K
343	Franciscan University of Steubenville	OH	30	$29,424	$23,589	+$200K
344	Rhodes College	TN	30	$29,279	$28,585	+$178K
345	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire	WI	30	$28,998	$16,550†	+$224K
346	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona	PA	30	$28,803	$22,213†	+$199K
347	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	30	$28,713	$18,976†	+$211K
348	University of South Dakota	SD	30	$28,431	$19,858†	+$205K
349	Southern Oregon University	OR	30	$28,067	$16,732†	+$214K
350	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	30	$27,941	$17,613†	+$209K
351	Western Michigan University	MI	30	$27,087	$15,273†	+$210K
352	Ripon College	WI	30	$25,421	$20,216	+$173K
353	East Texas A&M University	TX	30	$24,801	$11,841†	+$201K
354	Tennessee Technological University	TN	30	$24,659	$14,246†	+$190K
355	SUNY Brockport	NY	30	$22,976	$16,353†	+$164K
356	State University of New York at New Paltz	NY	30	$20,124	$18,809†	+$126K
357	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	OH	29	$30,226	$24,022†	+$206K
358	Vermont State University	VT	29	$29,907	$18,212†	+$226K
359	University of Central Arkansas	AR	29	$29,337	$16,511†	+$227K
360	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College	PA	29	$28,803	$24,558†	+$190K
361	Emmanuel College	MA	29	$28,695	$26,706	+$180K
362	Kent State University at Kent	OH	29	$28,476	$20,787†	+$202K
363	Appalachian State University	NC	29	$28,454	$16,836†	+$217K
364	The College of Wooster	OH	29	$28,013	$23,458	+$186K
365	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	PA	29	$27,711	$18,134†	+$205K
366	Grand Valley State University	MI	29	$27,341	$16,317†	+$208K
367	University of Oregon	OR	29	$25,571	$22,182†	+$167K
368	Manhattanville University	NY	29	$19,473	$20,991	+$111K
369	Albright College	PA	29	$19,041	$20,024	+$110K
370	University of Southern Mississippi	MS	28	$30,684	$21,708†	+$220K
371	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	28	$29,794	$23,433†	+$204K
372	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	28	$29,591	$30,434†	+$174K
373	Gettysburg College	PA	28	$28,497	$31,490	+$159K
374	Villanova University	PA	28	$27,882	$43,756	+$104K
375	The University of Tampa	FL	28	$27,787	$36,211	+$133K
376	Roanoke College	VA	28	$25,940	$24,503	+$161K
377	Stetson University	FL	28	$25,696	$19,372	+$179K
378	Georgia College & State University	GA	28	$23,907	$20,686†	+$156K
379	University of San Francisco	CA	28	$19,222	$41,431	+$26K
380	Miami University-Oxford	OH	27	$31,194	$28,384†	+$198K
381	Mississippi State University	MS	27	$28,295	$17,595†	+$213K
382	Pennsylvania Western University	PA	27	$27,871	$18,256†	+$206K
383	Wright State University-Main Campus	OH	27	$27,157	$15,415†	+$210K
384	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	PA	27	$26,761	$21,331†	+$182K
385	Western Washington University	WA	27	$25,355	$21,193†	+$169K
386	University of North Carolina Wilmington	NC	27	$25,047	$20,109†	+$170K
387	SUNY at Purchase College	NY	27	$23,803	$18,913†	+$162K
388	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	26	$28,803	$32,875†	+$157K
389	Le Moyne College	NY	26	$21,225	$22,277	+$123K
390	Ohio University-Main Campus	OH	25	$24,075	$21,637†	+$154K
391	Mount Holyoke College	MA	25	$23,337	$26,441	+$128K
392	University of Rochester	NY	25	$16,253	$29,278	+$45K
393	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	AR	24	$23,785	$17,248†	+$169K
394	Baylor University	TX	24	$20,391	$41,104	+$39K

Top 10 programs by 10-year net ROI

How to read this: Median earnings = typical pay one year after graduation. Net price = average annual cost after grant aid, incl. living costs — not sticker tuition. 10-yr net ROI = ten years of earnings minus four years of net price. Score = the CollegeRanked Score (0–100) that sets the order — it blends ROI with longer-run earnings, job demand and automation resilience, so a school can outrank one with a slightly higher 10-yr ROI. † = public university — net price shown is the in-state cost; out-of-state students pay more. See the full methodology.

Why these schools rank where they do

Amherst College takes the number one spot because it treats history as a premier pre-professional training ground. Amherst's famous open curriculum and intense, seminar-style writing requirements produce graduates who are fiercely recruited by prestigious think tanks, elite financial firms, and top law schools. Combined with an endowment that virtually eliminates tuition for most middle- and low-income families, Amherst grads step into high-paying, high-leverage careers without the anchor of student debt.

The Ivy League and its peers—Harvard, Dartmouth, Duke, and Vanderbilt—predictably dominate the top tier for the exact same reason: their history departments are well-worn conveyor belts to Wall Street, Washington, and Big Law. But the real story of this ranking is the incredible performance of regional public universities. Take CUNY Lehman College at #6. Sitting in the Bronx, Lehman charges a fraction of what private schools demand, yet it plugs its graduates directly into New York City's vast municipal, educational, and nonprofit sectors. Similarly, schools like the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Nevada State University punch way above their weight. They don't rely on prestige; they rely on geography. By offering highly subsidized tuition and aligning their programs with the booming populations and local government needs of Texas and Nevada, these regional powerhouses prove you don't need a famous pedigree to turn a history degree into a highly profitable career.

What is History?

History isn't about memorizing dates and names; it is the rigorous discipline of synthesizing massive archives of messy, contradictory information into compelling, evidence-based arguments. Day-to-day, history graduates are professional sense-makers, working as lawyers, policy analysts, educators, and corporate strategists who parse complex data to explain how we got here and where we should go next.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to go to law school or become a teacher if I major in history?

Not at all. While education and law are traditional and popular paths, history majors are highly sought after in business, management consulting, and even the tech industry. Employers value the ability to digest massive amounts of qualitative information, spot patterns, and write persuasively. Many graduates end up as policy analysts, marketing strategists, and project managers.

Why do elite liberal arts colleges dominate the top of this ranking?

It comes down to two factors: massive financial aid and elite campus recruiting. Schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Amherst have the wealth to offer incredibly generous aid, driving down the actual cost of attendance. Furthermore, top-tier consulting firms and investment banks heavily recruit history majors from these specific campuses, treating the degree as a signal of high-level critical thinking rather than looking for specialized technical training.

Does it make sense to double major?

Yes, pairing history with a more quantitative or applied field is one of the smartest moves you can make. Combining history with economics, data science, or public policy creates a killer resume. It tells employers you have the hard skills to run the numbers, and the humanities training to actually explain to the board what those numbers mean.