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2024 Best Education Schools

1,064 Colleges in the United States
327,871 Education Degrees Awarded
$46,202 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #4 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 1,064 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Education Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 327,871 degrees in education to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Education School

Best Education Schools The education program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Education rankings. We derive our Best Overall Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Education Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Education
Master's Degrees in Education
Doctor's Degrees in Education

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Education Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Education in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the education degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Education

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
761 Education Degrees Awarded
$78,976 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Harvard University if you wish to pursue a degree in education. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were roughly 761 education students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the education degree program at Harvard University make $32,774 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in education from Harvard University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,014 Education Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

Teachers College at Columbia University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in education. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1014 education students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from Teachers College at Columbia University receive $19,750 more than the standard education student.

More information about a degree in education from Teachers College at Columbia University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
916 Education Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a degree in education. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were roughly 915.9999999999999 education students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year. Education degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University get an earnings boost of around $19,484 over the average income of education majors.

More information about a degree in education from Johns Hopkins University

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Education Degrees Awarded
$47,080 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a degree in education. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were roughly 135 education students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, education degree recipients generally make about $47,080 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in education from Duke University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Education Degrees Awarded
$51,813 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 92 education students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $5,611 more than the typical education graduate.

More information about a degree in education from Northwestern University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,019 Education Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1019 education students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the education major at University of Southern California get $9,271 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in education from University of Southern California

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
607 Education Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 607 education students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Education degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of about $21,508 over the average income of education graduates.

More information about a degree in education from University of Pennsylvania

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Education Degrees Awarded
5.9% Growth in Graduates

A T Still University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Kirksville.

There were approximately 51 education students who graduated with this degree at A T Still University of Health Sciences in the most recent data year. Those education students who get their degree from A T Still University of Health Sciences make $37,221 more than the average education student.

More information about a degree in education from A T Still University of Health Sciences

9
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Education Degrees Awarded
$70,559 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 146 education students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those education students who get their degree from Stanford University receive $24,357 more than the average education student.

More information about a degree in education from Stanford University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
975 Education Degrees Awarded
$47,227 Median Starting Salary

UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 1st out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 975 education students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career income of $47,227.

More information about a degree in education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

11
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
627 Education Degrees Awarded
$58,234 Median Starting Salary

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 627 education students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from New York University make $12,031 more than the typical education graduate.

More information about a degree in education from New York University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
435 Education Degrees Awarded
$66,559 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were roughly 435 education students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year. Education degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park earn a boost of about $20,357 above the average income of education majors.

More information about a degree in education from University of Maryland - College Park

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
567 Education Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. This university ranks 3rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 567 education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the education program earn about $47,555 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
832 Education Degrees Awarded
$54,265 Median Starting Salary

UGA is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens. This university ranks 3rd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were about 832 education students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Education degree recipients from University of Georgia earn a boost of around $8,063 above the typical income of education majors.

More information about a degree in education from University of Georgia

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Education Degrees Awarded
$46,065 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 301 education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career earnings of $46,065.

More information about a degree in education from Western Washington University

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
676 Education Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle. This university ranks 1st out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 676 education students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Education degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus get an earnings boost of about $16,396 over the typical income of education graduates.

More information about a degree in education from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

17
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
346 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,436 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 346 education students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from Vanderbilt University make $7,234 more than the typical education student.

More information about a degree in education from Vanderbilt University

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
369 Education Degrees Awarded
$51,949 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 369 education students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $5,747 more than the typical education student.

More information about a degree in education from University of Virginia - Main Campus

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
452 Education Degrees Awarded
51.3% Growth in Graduates

Bank Street College of Education is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of New York.

There were approximately 452 education students who graduated with this degree at Bank Street College of Education in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the education program at Bank Street College of Education earn $18,529 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in education from Bank Street College of Education

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
653 Education Degrees Awarded
$52,333 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 653 education students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Education degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,130 above the typical income of education graduates.

More information about a degree in education from Purdue University - Main Campus

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
725 Education Degrees Awarded
14.9% Growth in Graduates

TCNJ is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Ewing. This college ranks 5th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 725 education students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the education program at The College of New Jersey make $7,153 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in education from The College of New Jersey

22
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
657 Education Degrees Awarded
$52,130 Median Starting Salary

UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. This university ranks 1st out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were roughly 657 education students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the education major at University of Florida earn $5,927 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in education from University of Florida

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Education Degrees Awarded
$142,413 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Erie, LECOM is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were about 34 education students who graduated with this degree at LECOM in the most recent year we have data available. Those education students who get their degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine make $96,211 more than the average education graduate.

More information about a degree in education from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
491 Education Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were approximately 491.00000000000006 education students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career wages of $46,567.

More information about a degree in education from Brigham Young University - Provo

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Education Degrees Awarded
1.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 180 education students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the education program make about $45,631 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in education from Baylor University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Education Schools

26
27
28
29
30
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
31
32

33
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

34
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
35
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, NY
36
37
38
39
40
41

42

43
44
45
46
47
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
48
49
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
50

 

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1064 different United States education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
52 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
53 Towson University Towson, MD
54 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
55 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
56 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
57 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
58 Providence College Providence, RI
59 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
60 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
61 Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA
62 Fordham University Bronx, NY
63 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
64 Utah State University Logan, UT
65 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
66 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
67 Queens College Queens, NY
68 Touro College New York, NY
69 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
70 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
71 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
72 The City College of New York New York, NY
73 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
74 Concordia University, Chicago River Forest, IL
75 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
76 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
77 Augustana College Rock Island, IL
78 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
79 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
80 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
81 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
82 Bradley University Peoria, IL
83 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
84 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
85 Creighton University Omaha, NE
86 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
87 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
88 Hope College Holland, MI
89 National University San Diego, CA
90 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
91 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
92 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
93 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
94 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
95 Whitworth University Spokane, WA
96 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
97 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
98 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
99 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
100 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
101 Clemson University Clemson, SC
102 Lehman College Bronx, NY
103 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
104 Winona State University Winona, MN
105 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
106 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
107 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
108 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
109 Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN
110 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
111 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
112 Northcentral University San Diego, CA
113 Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT
114 Auburn University Auburn, AL
115 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
116 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
117 Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR
118 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
119 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
120 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
121 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
122 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
123 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
124 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
125 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
126 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
127 Samford University Birmingham, AL
128 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
129 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
130 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
130 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
132 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
132 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
133 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
134 DePaul University Chicago, IL
135 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
136 National Louis University Chicago, IL
137 American University Washington, DC
138 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
139 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
140 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
141 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
142 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
143 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
144 Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN
145 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
146 Tufts University Medford, MA
147 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
148 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
149 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
150 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
151 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
152 Florida International University Miami, FL
153 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
154 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
155 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
156 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
157 Villanova University Villanova, PA
158 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
159 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
160 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
161 University of Portland Portland, OR
162 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
163 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
164 Delaware Technical Community College - Terry Dover, DE
165 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
166 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
167 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
168 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
169 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
170 Brandman University Irvine, CA
171 Valley City State University Valley City, ND
172 Mercer University Macon, GA
173 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
174 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
175 California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA
176 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
177 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
178 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
179 Drake University Des Moines, IA
180 Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA
181 Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD
182 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
183 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
184 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
185 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
186 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
187 Viterbo University La Crosse, WI
188 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
189 Pacific University Forest Grove, OR
190 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
191 Concordia University, Irvine Irvine, CA
192 Heritage University Toppenish, WA
193 Widener University Chester, PA
194 Lamar University Beaumont, TX
195 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
196 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
197 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA
198 Saint Martin’s University Lacey, WA
199 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
200 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA
201 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
202 Endicott College Beverly, MA
203 Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL
204 Concordia University, Nebraska Seward, NE
205 Minot State University Minot, ND
206 Manhattanville College Purchase, NY
207 Northwestern College Orange City, IA
208 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
209 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
210 El Centro College Dallas, TX
211 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
212 Lewis & Clark College Portland, OR

Education by Region

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

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832
Student Counseling 13,858
Instructional Media Design 8,695
Teaching English or French 5,791
Other Education 4,858

View All Education Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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