English as an undergraduate major typically is a stepping stone to a graduate school program for many students, whether in English literature or language, or completely different fields, such as law, journalism and business. This ranking of the best colleges for English Language and English Literature majors analyzes the renown, reputational and real-world value excellence of the English departments as a whole. English is a core humanities requirement at most top universities, meaning virtually all offer degree tracks as well. For the top colleges in the field we expect students to have opportunity to freely expand their analytic inquiry into literature and writing, as a tool that enhances society as a whole through this type of intellectual pursuit.
Top 50 Best Colleges for English Language and Literature Majors
We have analyzed over 200 colleges in ranking the best colleges for English majors.
| Rank | College | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | New Haven | CT |
| 2 | Princeton University | Princeton | NJ |
| 3 | Stanford University | Palo Alto | CA |
| 4 | Harvard University | Cambridge | MA |
| 5 | Columbia University | New York | NY |
| 6 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | PA |
| 7 | University of Chicago | Chicago | IL |
| 8 | Duke University | Durham | NC |
| 9 | Brown University | Providence | RI |
| 10 | University of Texas - Austin | Austin | TX |
| 11 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville | TN |
| 12 | Northwestern University | Evanston | IL |
| 13 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | MD |
| 14 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | CA |
| 15 | New York University | New York | NY |
| 16 | Cornell University | Ithaca | NY |
| 17 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA |
| 18 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | MI |
| 19 | The Ohio State University | Columbus | OH |
| 20 | University of Virginia | Charlottesville | VA |
| 21 | Rice University | Houston | TX |
| 22 | Emory University | Atlanta | GA |
| 23 | Georgetown University | Washington | DC |
| 24 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | CA |
| 25 | University of Illinois | Champaign | IL |
| 26 | Indiana University | Bloomington | IN |
| 27 | Williams College | Williamstown | MA |
| 28 | Dartmouth College | Hanover | NH |
| 29 | Amherst College | Amherst | MA |
| 30 | University of Notre Dame | South Bend | IN |
| 31 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore | PA |
| 32 | Pomona College | Claremont | CA |
| 33 | University of Washington | Seattle | WA |
| 34 | University of Iowa | Iowa City | IA |
| 35 | University of North Carolina | Chapel Hill | NC |
| 36 | Washington University | St. Louis | MO |
| 37 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick | NJ |
| 38 | University Of Wisconsin | Madison | WI |
| 39 | Penn State | University Park | PA |
| 40 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill | MA |
| 41 | University of California - Davis | Davis | CA |
| 42 | University of Maryland | College Park | MD |
| 43 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | MI |
| 44 | Tufts University | Medford | MA |
| 45 | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | PA |
| 46 | University of Minnesota | Twin Cities | MN |
| 47 | Scripps College | Claremont | CA |
| 48 | University of Illinois - Chicago | Chicago | IL |
| 49 | Tulane University | New Orleans | LA |
| 50 | Wellesley College | Wellesley | MA |
More information on our RealRankTM analytics used in creating this ranking can be found on the About page.
Economic Value of An English Degree
English Language and English Literature specific careers, like humanities careers in general, are somewhat limited. Generally the entry level positions available to English majors are relatively low paying. Many students who major in these fields will gravitate towards graduate schools, pursuing more specific careers. For example many English majors move on to pursue careers as teachers, journalists, film and television writers, and attorneys. For pure English careers, these are some typical options:
- High School English teachers.
- College teaching.
- Writing.
