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2021 Best Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

658 Colleges
137,622 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,829 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Psychology Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsWith 137,622 bachelor's degrees handed out in <nil>, psychology is the #5 most popular major in the United States.

This year's Best Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 658 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in psychology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent psychology programs, but they also offer a lot of support to non-traditional students.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as affordability, and overall quality of the psychology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Psychology Schools for Non-Traditional Students list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.


 

2021 Best Psychology Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

Check out the psychology programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.

Top 25 Psychology Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1
Walden University crest
Walden University
Minneapolis, MN

Walden University tops the 2021 list of our schools in the United States that are best for non-traditional psychology students. Walden University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

The student loan default rate at Walden University is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. All 46,455 students take classes exclusively online at Walden University. About 27,673 of the students at Walden University are attending part time.

Read full report on Psychology at Walden University

2

Our rankings recognize University of California - San Diego as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population. UCSD also made our Best Colleges for Psychology list, coming in at #1.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. There are approximately 21,222 students at UCSD that take at least one class online. 1,605 of UCSD students are attending part time.

Read More…

3
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Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA

Bay Path University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. Bay Path is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Longmeadow. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Bay Path is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The student loan default rate at Bay Path is lower than is typical, just 1.3% of students default in three years. 1,626 of Bay Path students are exclusively distance learners. About 1,300 of the students at Bay Path are attending part time.

Full Psychology at Bay Path University Report

4
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN

Capella University earned the #4 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 1.1% of Capella University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. All 38,716 students take classes exclusively online at Capella University. About 30,933 of the students at Capella University are attending part time.

Read More…

5
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Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College landed the #5 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. Boston College not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #2 on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. Approximately 6,590 students take at least one class online at Boston College. About 1,916 of the students at Boston College are attending part time.

Full Psychology at Boston College Report

6
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Kean University
Union, NJ

Our rankings recognize Kean University as the #6 school in this year's rankings. Kean is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Union.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 3.1%. There are approximately 1,503 students at Kean that take at least one class online. 3,314 of Kean students are attending part time.

Full Psychology at Kean University Report

7

Our rankings recognize George Mason University as the #7 school in this year's rankings. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GMU also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Psychology ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. 12,712 of GMU students are attending part time.

Read full report on Psychology at George Mason University

8

University of California - Los Angeles comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles. UCLA not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #6 on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.7%. There are approximately 25,859 students at UCLA that take at least one class online. About 2,161 of the students at UCLA are attending part time.

Read More…

9

Grace College and Theological Seminary earned the #9 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Grace College also did well on our Best Colleges for Psychology list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 630 students take at least one class online at Grace College. There are roughly 426 part time students in attendance at Grace College.

Read More…

10
Lesley crest
Lesley University
Cambridge, MA

Lesley University earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. Lesley is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Lesley is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.5%. 779 students at Lesley are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,071 part time students in attendance at Lesley.

Read More…

11

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #11 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population. UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The student loan default rate at UMN Twin Cities is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,237 students at UMN Twin Cities that take at least one class online. 13,655 of UMN Twin Cities students are attending part time.

Full Psychology at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

12

Southern New Hampshire University earned the #12 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

About 2.0% of SNHU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 138,672 of SNHU students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 102,147 part time students in attendance at SNHU.

Full Psychology at Southern New Hampshire University Report

13

University of Virginia - Main Campus comes in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, University of Virginia also did well on our Best Colleges for Psychology list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at University of Virginia is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 4,175 students at University of Virginia that take at least one class online. 2,758 of University of Virginia students are attending part time.

Full Psychology at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

14

University of Arizona earned the #14 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public school with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, University of Arizona also did well on our Best Colleges for Psychology list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.6%. There are approximately 18,254 students at University of Arizona that take at least one class online. 12,642 of University of Arizona students are attending part time.

Read full report on Psychology at University of Arizona

15

Brandman University earned the #15 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The student loan default rate at Brandman is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. About 5,783 of the students at Brandman are attending part time.

Full Psychology at Brandman University Report

16

San Jose State University landed the #16 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose. San Jose State excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The student loan default rate at San Jose State is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 19,939 students take at least one class online at San Jose State. 9,800 students are part time.

Read More…

17

William Jessup University landed the #17 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the rural area of Rocklin, William Jessup University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.0%. Approximately 545 students take at least one class online at William Jessup University. 386 students are part time.

Read More…

18

California State University - East Bay landed the #18 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 7,069 students at Cal State East Bay are exclusively online. There are roughly 3,650 part time students in attendance at Cal State East Bay.

Read full report on Psychology at California State University - East Bay

19
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

Our rankings recognize Boston University as the #19 school in this year's rankings. Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston U, the school also landed the #5 rank in our Best Colleges for Psychology ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.5%. 4,032 students at Boston U are exclusively online. About 7,057 of the students at Boston U are attending part time.

Full Psychology at Boston University Report

20
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA

The #20 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Saint Joseph's University. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. St. Joe's excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Psychology list.

The student loan default rate at St. Joe’s is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. 2,032 students at St. Joe’s are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,163 part time students in attendance at St. Joe’s.

Read More…

21

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin landed the #21 spot in our 2021 best psychology schools for non-traditional students. UT Permian Basin is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Odessa.

The student loan default rate at UT Permian Basin is lower than is typical, just 2.8% of students default in three years. 2,887 students at UT Permian Basin are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,711 part time students in attendance at UT Permian Basin.

Full Psychology at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Report

22

Our rankings recognize University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the #22 school in this year's rankings. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Psychology ranking.

About 0.9% of UNC Chapel Hill students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 6,990 students take at least one class online at UNC Chapel Hill. 5,151 students are part time.

Read full report on Psychology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

23
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

The #23 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Georgetown University. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. Georgetown also made our Best Colleges for Psychology list, coming in at #9.

The student loan default rate at Georgetown is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. There are approximately 4,343 students at Georgetown that take at least one class online. 5,553 of Georgetown students are attending part time.

Read full report on Psychology at Georgetown University

24

The #24 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Metropolitan State University. Metro State is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Saint Paul.

The student loan default rate at Metro State is lower than is typical, just 1.4% of students default in three years. Approximately 2,941 students take at least one class online at Metro State. 4,032 students are part time.

Full Psychology at Metropolitan State University Report

25

Colorado Christian University earned the #25 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the midsize city of Lakewood, CCU is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.2%. 4,417 of CCU students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 5,948 part time students in attendance at CCU.

Read More…

Rest of the Top 50 Schools for Best Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
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New York University
New York, NY
27
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Villanova University
Villanova, PA
28
29
30
31
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Simpson University
Redding, CA
32
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National University
San Diego, CA

33

34
35
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Emory University
Atlanta, GA
36
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University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
37
38
39
40
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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
41

42
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Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

43
44
45
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Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ
46
47
48
49
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Towson University
Towson, MD
50
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University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

 

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 658 different United States psychology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Washington State University Pullman, WA
52 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
53 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
54 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
55 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
56 SUNY Empire State College Saratoga Springs, NY
57 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
58 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
59 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN
60 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
61 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
62 Fordham University Bronx, NY
63 Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, OR
64 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
65 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
66 Mary Baldwin University Staunton, VA
67 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
68 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
69 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
70 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
71 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
72 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
73 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
74 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
75 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
76 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
77 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary of the Woods, IN
78 Point University West Point, GA
79 Rivier University Nashua, NH
80 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
81 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
82 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
83 University of Denver Denver, CO
84 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
85 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
86 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
87 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
88 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
89 Utica College Utica, NY
90 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
91 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
92 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
93 Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, NY
94 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
95 Granite State College Concord, NH
96 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
97 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
98 Pace University - New York New York, NY

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 Psychology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
99 Georgian Court University Lakewood, NJ
100 Endicott College Beverly, MA
101 SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, NY
102 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
103 Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA
104 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
105 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
106 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
107 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
108 North Carolina Wesleyan College Rocky Mount, NC
109 Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL
110 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
111 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
112 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
113 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
114 Radford University Radford, VA
115 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
116 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
117 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
118 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
119 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
120 Salem State University Salem, MA
121 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
122 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
123 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
124 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport, CT
125 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
126 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
127 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
128 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
129 Upper Iowa University Fayette, IA
130 Trinity Washington University Washington, DC
131 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ

Psychology by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Psychology colleges in a specific region near you.

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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