Best Schools for Philosophy
Philosophy graduates earn a median of $57,702 within four years of graduating, ranking #232 out of 283 tracked majors — 8% below the median across all fields. There are 145 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 2,128 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: University of Pennsylvania graduates earn $107,454 while Franciscan University of Steubenville graduates earn $31,906 — a $75,548 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Philosophy graduates see an average -1% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Philosophy
Private schools produce $5,356 more in early earnings on average for Philosophy graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Philosophy by State
Also by state: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia
Top Philosophy Schools by Graduate Earnings
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA · Private
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY · Public
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA · Public
Fordham University
Bronx, NY · Private
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ · Private
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA · Public
Boston University
Boston, MA · Private
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY · Public
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Public
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, PA · Public
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus
University Park, PA · Public
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
George Washington University
Washington, DC · Private
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA · Public
University of Scranton
Scranton, PA · Private
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA · Public
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell, WA · Public
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA · Public
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ · Public
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
Stillwater, OK · Public
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI · Public
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public
Rutgers University-Camden
Camden, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ · Public
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR · Public
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA · Public
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Duluth, MN · Public
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA · Public
University of Houston
Houston, TX · Public
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ · Public
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, MA · Public
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
Showing top 50 of 145 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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