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2023 Best Anthropology Schools

152 Colleges
$26,616 Avg Salary
$23,038 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Anthropology School for You

Anthropology is the #116 most popular major in the country with 1,446 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Anthropology Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 152 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Anthropology Schools in the United States

Check out the anthropology programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Anthropology Schools

Our analysis found Teachers College at Columbia University to be the best school for anthropology students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Anthropology Schools list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Anthropology at The Graduate Center, CUNY

#3

Rice University

Houston, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Anthropology Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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#4

Duke University

Durham, NC

Out of the 152 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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#5

Yale University

New Haven, CT

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Anthropology Schools list. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Anthropology at Yale University

#6

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton.

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#7

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Anthropology at Stanford University

#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Anthropology at Vanderbilt University Report

#9

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for anthropology students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Anthropology at Northwestern University

#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Read full report on Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University

#11

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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#12

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Full Anthropology at Cornell University Report

#13

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

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#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for anthropology students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Anthropology at University of Pennsylvania Report

#15

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Anthropology Schools list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence.

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#16

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Read full report on Anthropology at University of Chicago

University of California - Berkeley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Anthropology Schools list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

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#18

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

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#19

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

With a ranking of #19, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for anthropology students. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Read full report on Anthropology at University of Virginia - Main Campus

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

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University of California - Los Angeles came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Anthropology Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Anthropology at University of California - Los Angeles

#22

Binghamton University

Vestal, NY

Binghamton University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best anthropology programs. Binghamton University is a large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Vestal.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Anthropology students that almost earned our Best Anthropology Schools award.

Rank College Location
23 George Washington University Washington, DC
24 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
25 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
26 Emory University Atlanta, GA
27 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
28 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
29 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
30 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH

Anthropology by Region

View the Best Anthropology Schools for a specific region near you.

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

One of 12 majors within the area of study, anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Political Science & Government 2,664
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Deror avi.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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