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Most Popular Education Schools

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2023 Most Popular Education Schools

1,265 Colleges
$46,202 Avg Salary
$24,437 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Education School for You

With 199,724 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, education is the #3 most popular major in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,265 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Education program at each school on the list.

Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

Our analysis found Western Governors University to be the most popular school for education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the suburb of Salt Lake City, WGU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Education at Western Governors University Report

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Grand Canyon University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

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#3

American College of Education

Indianapolis, IN

Out of the 1,265 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American College of Education landed the # 3 spot on the list. American College of Education is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Read full report on Education at American College of Education

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

The excellent programs at Liberty University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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#5

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lamar University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Lamar University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Beaumont.

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#6

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Ball State is a very large public school located in the small city of Muncie.

Full Education at Ball State University Report

#7

National University

La Jolla, CA

National University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Read full report on Education at National University

Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public school with a large student population.

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With a ranking of #10, Relay Graduate School of Education did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for education students. Located in the large city of New York, Relay Graduate School of Education is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Education at Relay Graduate School of Education Report

Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.

Full Education at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

#12

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN

Capella University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Education at Capella University Report

#13

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY

University of the Cumberlands came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Cumberlands is a large private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamsburg.

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University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Tempe, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona

#15

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL

University of West Alabama landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular education programs. University of West Alabama is a medium-sized public school located in the remote area of Livingston.

Full Education at University of West Alabama Report

#16

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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The College of Saint Rose ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Saint Rose is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Albany.

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#18

Hunter College

New York, NY

Hunter College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Hunter is a very large public school located in the city of New York.

Read full report on Education at Hunter College

University of Southern California ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Education at University of Southern California

Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Education at Teachers College at Columbia University Report

National Louis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for education students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Education at National Louis University

#22

Touro College

New York, NY

Touro College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular education programs. Touro is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Read full report on Education at Touro College

#23

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

Concordia University, Chicago came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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Concordia University, Nebraska did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for education students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the town of Seward, Concordia University, Nebraska is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Nebraska

#25

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Education at Johns Hopkins University

#26

Portland State University

Portland, OR
#27

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
#29

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA
#30

University of West Georgia

Carrollton, GA
#31

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
#32

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ
#35

Piedmont College

Demorest, GA
#36

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA
#37

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
#38

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL
#40

Queens College

Queens, NY
#41

Clemson University

Clemson, SC
#42

Valdosta State University

Valdosta, GA
#44

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
#46

Emporia State University

Emporia, KS
#48

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR
#49

Wilmington University

New Castle, DE
#50

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 1265 different United States education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
52 Boston University Boston, MA
52 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
54 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
55 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
55 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
57 New York University New York, NY
58 Concordia University, Irvine Irvine, CA
58 The City College of New York New York, NY
60 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
61 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
62 Washington State University Pullman, WA
63 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
64 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
65 University of Georgia Athens, GA
66 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
66 William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS
68 Lehman College Bronx, NY
68 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
70 American International College Springfield, MA
71 LIU Post Brookville, NY
72 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
73 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
74 University of North Texas Denton, TX
75 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
76 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
77 Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA
78 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
79 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
80 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
81 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
82 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
83 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
83 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
85 Bank Street College of Education New York, NY
85 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
87 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
88 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
89 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
90 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
91 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
92 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
93 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
94 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
94 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
94 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
97 Concordia University, Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN
98 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
98 Endicott College Beverly, MA
98 Viterbo University La Crosse, WI
101 George Washington University Washington, DC
101 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
103 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
104 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
105 McDaniel College Westminster, MD
106 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
107 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
108 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
109 Boise State University Boise, ID
110 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
111 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
112 Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA
113 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
114 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
115 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
116 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
117 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
117 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
119 University of La Verne La Verne, CA
120 William Woods University Fulton, MO
121 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX
122 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
122 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
124 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
124 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
126 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
127 California University of Pennsylvania California, PA
128 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
129 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
130 Towson University Towson, MD
131 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
132 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
132 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
134 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
135 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
135 DePaul University Chicago, IL
137 Mercy College Dobbs Ferry, NY
138 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL
139 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
140 Belhaven University Jackson, MS
141 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
142 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
143 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
144 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
145 Auburn University Auburn, AL
146 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
147 Pace University - New York New York, NY
147 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
149 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
150 University at Albany Albany, NY
150 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
150 Alliant International University San Diego, CA
150 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
150 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
155 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
156 University of St. Thomas Houston, TX
157 Framingham State University Framingham, MA
157 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
157 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
157 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
161 University of St Francis Joliet, IL
162 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
163 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
163 Cambridge College Boston, MA
165 Gardner - Webb University Boiling Springs, NC
166 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
167 University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE
168 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN
169 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
170 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
170 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
170 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
173 Buffalo State Buffalo, NY
174 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
174 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
176 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
177 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
178 Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN
178 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
178 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
181 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
182 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
182 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
184 Augusta University Augusta, GA
185 Mercer University Macon, GA
186 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
187 Salem State University Salem, MA
188 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
188 Temple University Philadelphia, PA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Education Schools award.

Rank College Location
190 Florida International University Miami, FL
190 Merrimack College North Andover, MA
192 Regis University Denver, CO
192 Jackson State University Jackson, MS
194 Mississippi College Clinton, MS
195 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
195 Marshall University Huntington, WV
197 Morningside College Sioux City, IA
197 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
197 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
200 Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA
200 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
202 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
203 New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ
204 University of Mississippi University, MS
205 Doane University Crete, NE
206 University of Houston Houston, TX
207 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
208 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
209 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
209 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
211 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
211 Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
213 University of Denver Denver, CO
213 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
213 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
216 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
216 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
218 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
218 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
220 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
221 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
222 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL
222 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
224 Creighton University Omaha, NE
224 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
226 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
227 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
228 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
228 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA
230 Niagara University Niagara University, NY
231 Manhattanville College Purchase, NY
232 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
233 Purdue University Global Indianapolis, IN
234 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
234 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
236 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
237 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
237 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
237 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
240 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
241 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
241 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
241 Georgia Southwestern State University Americus, GA
241 University of Saint Joseph West Hartford, CT
245 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
246 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
246 Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD
246 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
246 University of Southern Maine Portland, ME
250 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
250 Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN
252 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA
253 Drake University Des Moines, IA
253 Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN

Education by Region

View the Most Popular Education Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
General Education 21,189
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784
Student Counseling 13,840
Instructional Media Design 8,387
Teaching English or French 4,743
Other Education 2,513
Multilingual Education 1,672
Educational Assessment 1,215
Education Philosophy 421
International Education 257
Teaching Assistants 20

Related Major Annual Graduates
Psychology 42,013
Social Sciences 22,292
Communication & Journalism 12,242
Library Science 5,929
History 4,391

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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