Best Anthropology Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page ranks 227 Anthropology programs in the United States by the median earnings of Anthropology graduates four years after completing. Columbia University in the City of New York leads the list at $83,493, followed by Duke University at $81,120 and Emory University at $78,768.
Across the listed schools, reported earnings range from $83,493 to $17,717, with a median of $42,913.
Public institutions account for 80% of the list, with 182 schools alongside 45 private nonprofits. CUNY Hunter College posts the lowest average net price at $2,984.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $83,493 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York reports median earnings of $83,493 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, with 16 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $81,120 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left Duke University with a median of $13,000 in federal loans, and the school's Anthropology completers earn a median of $81,120 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Emory University · Atlanta, GA | $78,768 | $22,585 | $7,363 | 10.7% |
| Emory University admits 11% of applicants and posts median earnings of $78,768 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $71,018 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
| Washington University in St Louis ranks 97th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside median earnings of $71,018 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $70,846 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
| An average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $70,846 for Anthropology graduates of Dartmouth College four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Fordham University · Bronx, NY | $66,562 | $44,338 | $32,474 | 59.3% |
| Fordham University reports median federal debt of $22,562 among Anthropology completers who borrowed, and its graduates earn a median of $66,562 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | George Washington University · Washington, DC | $65,172 | $36,586 | $17,440 | 47.1% |
| George Washington University ranks 7th on this list, with an admission rate of 47% and median earnings of $65,172 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $64,359 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| A public university in Berkeley, University of California-Berkeley reports median earnings of $64,359 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $13,481. | |||||
| 9 | Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA | $62,674 | $12,885 | $8,310 | 93.4% |
| Sonoma State University admits 93% of applicants and its Anthropology graduates earn a median of $62,674 four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $61,300 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University ranks 51st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $61,300 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | James Madison University · Harrisonburg, VA | $60,841 | $23,322 | $11,444 | 71.5% |
| Median federal debt of $20,500 among Anthropology completers who borrowed accompanies median earnings of $60,841 for James Madison University graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | CUNY Lehman College · Bronx, NY | $60,488 | $3,148 | $1,589 | 56.6% |
| CUNY Lehman College reports an average net price of $3,148, and its Anthropology graduates earn a median of $60,488 four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Loyola University Chicago · Chicago, IL | $59,024 | $36,079 | $28,992 | 81.6% |
| Loyola University Chicago reports median earnings of $59,024 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, with 30 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | Stony Brook University · Stony Brook, NY | $58,329 | $18,784 | $12,943 | 49.0% |
| Stony Brook University admits 49% of applicants and its Anthropology completers who borrowed left with a median of $17,699 in federal loans. | |||||
| 15 | Brandeis University · Waltham, MA | $57,423 | $35,736 | $13,363 | 40.5% |
| Brandeis University, a private nonprofit university in Waltham, has an average net price of $35,736 and an admission rate of 40%. | |||||
| 16 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $56,982 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $56,982 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Tulane University of Louisiana · New Orleans, LA | $56,847 | $39,949 | $16,126 | 14.0% |
| Tulane University of Louisiana posts an admission rate of 14% and an average net price of $16,126 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $56,836 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $56,836 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
| 19 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC | $56,589 | $11,655 | $2,004 | 15.3% |
| Its Anthropology completers who borrowed left with a median of $12,500 in federal loans, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks 19th on this list. | |||||
| 20 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $56,468 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick has an average net price of $16,343 for families earning under $30,000 and an admission rate of 58%. | |||||
| 21 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $56,238 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara reports median earnings of $56,238 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, with 140 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 22 | SUNY Oneonta · Oneonta, NY | $55,981 | $19,158 | $11,044 | 69.6% |
| SUNY Oneonta admits 70% of applicants and its Anthropology completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,253 in federal loans. | |||||
| 23 | Georgia Southern University · Statesboro, GA | $55,879 | $15,267 | $12,162 | 87.9% |
| Georgia Southern University ranks 124th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and has an average net price of $15,267. | |||||
| 24 | Monmouth University · West Long Branch, NJ | $55,868 | $30,988 | $18,924 | 89.0% |
| Monmouth University, a private nonprofit university in West Long Branch, reports median earnings of $55,868 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $55,624 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $55,624 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,600. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Anthropology graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 57 of the 227 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls. The range and median below cover the 227 schools with a published figure. The gap between Columbia University in the City of New York and Duke University is $2,373, while the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $65,776.
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