• Home
• Find Philosophy Graduate Programs
• Philosophy Rankings
• Universities
• About the Guide

• Step 1: Choose field
• Step 2: Set priorities
• Step 3: Your ranking of Philosophy programs

• Choosing a program
• Your application
• Taking the GRE
• Funding / Scholarships
• Other rankings
• Should you go?
• Graduate assistantships

The rankings below have been generated just for you using the priorities you set on this page. You can change your priorities or get rankings for a different field.

How to Read Your Ranking

• Programs are ranked by their score, a weighted sum of the items you chose. (Details)
• Descriptions of each item are listed at the bottom of the page. (You can also see a description by mousing over items at the top of the table.)
• Your weight for each item is shown beneath the item at the top of the table. Weights range in magnitude from 0 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
• A positive weight means that you prefer larger values for the item. A negative weight means that you prefer smaller values for the item.
• Green values are at least one standard deviation better than the mean. Red values are at least one standard deviation worse than the mean.
• Data sources can be found below.

Do you think these rankings are useful? If so, you can help spread the word by linking to phds.org from your own site or blog.
Here is a direct link to your ranking.
Here are some other ways to help us.

Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (3)	# Fac (2)	Stu / Fac (-1)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
1.	Philosophy, Princeton University	24.7	6.2	89%	4.6	4.9	$17,805	7.0	16	2.1	11%	745	735
2.	Philosophy, University of Notre Dame	21.2	6.9	74%	3.6	3.7	$14,992	7.2	33	2.0	32%	700	685
3.	Philosophy, Stanford University	16.7	5.7	76%	4.0	4.2	$17,084	3.6	18	2.9	12%	735	720
4.	Philosophy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Piscataway	15.2	7.1	93%	3.4	3.8	$14,982	5.8	28	2.1	61%	615	580
5.	Philosophy, Cornell University	15.1	5.9	100%	4.1	4.1	$16,969	2.0	15	2.1	27%	710	675
6.	Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh-Main Campus	14.0	7.9	78%	4.4	4.7	$14,947	3.6	30	2.0	49%	625	610
7.	Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology	12.4	5.0	64%	3.9	4.0	$18,201	2.8	11	2.6	14%	770	730
8.	Philosophy, Harvard University	11.9	7.3	78%	3.8	4.7	$17,425	3.4	14	3.1	9%	745	745
9.	Philosophy, Ohio State University-Main Campus	10.3	7.3	94%	3.1	3.2	$15,072	3.4	36	1.5	73%	580	560
9.	Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	10.3	7.2	75%	3.4	3.7	$16,220	5.4	20	2.4	36%	650	640
11.	Philosophy, University of Southern California	10.0	5.2	66%*	2.7	2.9	$12,328	2.2	13	2.3	27%	690	665
12.	Philosophy, Brown University	9.8	6.7	67%	3.6	3.8	$16,202	3.4	13	2.0	15%	725	710
13.	Philosophy, University of Chicago	9.3	8.2	82%	3.4	3.9	$17,977	5.6	20	3.0	40%	715	725
14.	Philosophy, University of Arizona	9.1	6.2	92%	3.7	4.0	$17,468	4.4	19	1.9	88%	565	560
15.	Philosophy, SUNY at Binghamton	8.9	6.3	45%	2.8*	2.8*	$12,093	6.4	17*	2.8*	43%	650	615
16.	Philosophy, University of Memphis	8.5	4.9	86%	2.8*	2.8*	$13,242	3.4	17*	2.8*	71%	538	530
17.	Philosophy, Boston University	7.6	7.3	57%	2.9	3.1	$17,237	8.2	22	2.6	55%	655	645
18.	Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis	7.4	5.5	84%	2.5	2.4	$16,938	2.4	14	2.6	19%	730	710
19.	Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania	7.2	6.9	68%	3.0	3.2	$18,171	5.2	15	2.4	21%	725	705
20.	Philosophy, Emory University	6.5	7.1	58%	3.0	2.5	$16,296	7.4	14	3.3	39%	700	680
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (3)	# Fac (2)	Stu / Fac (-1)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
21.	Philosophy, Columbia University in the City of New York	6.3	7.7	64%	2.9	3.2	$16,600	5.6	17	4.4	13%	725	715
22.	Philosophy, Marquette University	6.2	6.7	50%	2.8*	2.8*	$11,174	5.8	17*	2.8*	70%	600	595
22.	Philosophy, Purdue University-Main Campus	6.2	6.3	59%	2.8*	2.8*	$12,056	5.8	17*	2.8*	85%	590	555
24.	Philosophy, Duke University	6.0	6.0	71%	2.6	2.4	$16,361	3.6	11	1.9	22%	725	705
25.	Philosophy, Northwestern University	5.5	7.0	67%	3.0	3.2	$17,240	2.8	21	1.7	30%	715	695
25.	Philosophy, University of Maryland-College Park	5.5	5.9	64%	2.7	2.9	$14,382	1.6	22	1.2	49%	650	625
27.	Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin	5.4	8.2	57%	3.0	3.2	$18,426	6.2	37	1.6	51%	630	605
28.	Philosophy, University of California-Berkeley	5.3	7.7	92%	3.7	4.7	$24,521	5.2	16	2.1	25%	685	645
29.	Philosophy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	5.1	7.2	71%	2.8	2.8	$14,714	4.0	22	2.1	68%	675	615
30.	Philosophy, Vanderbilt University	4.4	6.3	56%	3.0	2.6	$17,056	5.2	15	3.9	35%	695	675
31.	Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	4.3	6.2	66%	2.2	2.1	$13,812	6.2	14	2.7	58%	610	580
31.	Philosophy, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	4.3	7.9	79%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,399	4.4	17*	2.8*	57%	680	640
33.	Philosophy, SUNY at Buffalo	4.1	7.0	56%	2.2	2.2	$11,959	6.4	19	2.8	56%	595	565
33.	Philosophy, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	4.1	8.2	71%	3.0	3.0	$12,805	3.8	22	1.9	70%	630	600
33.	Philosophy, University of Missouri-Columbia	4.1	5.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,268	2.0	17*	2.8*	83%	595	600
33.	Philosophy, Villanova University	4.1	6.0	50%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,940	3.0	17*	2.8*	51%	645	620
37.	Philosophy, Michigan State University	3.4	6.8	67%	2.2	1.9	$11,006	3.2	25	1.0	76%	585	555
37.	Philosophy, Stony Brook University	3.4	6.7	52%	2.4	2.3	$12,370	4.0	24	2.3	51%	610	570
39.	Philosophy, Boston College	3.0	7.7	61%	2.4	2.1	$14,266	4.8	22	3.3	31%	680	655
39.	Philosophy, SUNY at Albany	3.0	5.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,595	1.4	17*	2.8*	56%	575	555
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (3)	# Fac (2)	Stu / Fac (-1)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
39.	Philosophy, Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Theological Seminary	3.0	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$11,318*	1.2	17*	2.8*	36%	633*	616*
42.	Philosophy, University of Colorado at Boulder	2.7	6.9	72%	2.8*	2.8*	$16,035	5.8	17*	2.8*	88%	600	580
43.	Philosophy, Indiana University-Bloomington	2.6	6.9	67%	3.1	3.1	$13,216	4.0	17	3.0	85%	560	550
44.	Philosophy, Chicago Theological Seminary	2.0	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,165*	2.4	17*	2.8*	54%*	633*	616*
45.	Philosophy, University of Utah	1.7	6.9	71%	2.8*	2.8*	$11,640	1.2	17*	2.8*	86%	633*	616*
46.	Philosophy, Rice University	1.3	7.7	67%	2.8	2.7	$15,506	2.6	11	1.6	25%	725	710
47.	Philosophy, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary	1.2	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$14,135*	2.6	17*	2.8*	54%*	633*	616*
48.	Philosophy, University of New Mexico-Main Campus	1.1	5.2	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,451*	1.0	17*	2.8*	74%	535	540
49.	Philosophy, University of Rochester	0.9	5.1	66%*	3.0	3.0	$19,807*	1.6	13	2.4	46%	670	650
49.	Philosophy, University of South Carolina-Columbia	0.9	6.6	64%	2.8*	2.8*	$13,036	2.4	17*	2.8*	67%	580	570
51.	Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison	0.4	7.7	51%	3.1	3.3	$20,413	7.2	26	4.8	71%	650	615
52.	Philosophy, CUNY Graduate School and University Center	0.2	8.5	67%	2.8	3.5	$22,077*	6.4	32	3.4	54%*	633*	616*
53.	Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University	0.0	9.7	92%	3.0	3.0	$16,005	4.8	9	4.2	35%	705	680
54.	Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago	-0.4	7.4	63%	3.3	3.5	$15,476	2.2	17	2.2	58%	605	570
55.	Philosophy, Georgetown University	-0.8	9.3	75%	2.8	2.5	$18,032	3.0	26	1.9	21%	695	695
56.	Philosophy, Syracuse University	-1.2	7.8	71%	3.5	3.3	$17,657	2.2	20	2.3	65%	620	595
57.	Philosophy, University of Dallas	-1.3	7.7	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$11,459	1.0	17*	2.8*	81%	595	640
58.	Philosophy, University of Virginia-Main Campus	-1.9	5.7	45%*	2.4	2.4	$15,102*	1.8	11	3.1	38%	670	655
59.	Philosophy, University of Connecticut	-2.0	8.2	82%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,790	2.0	17*	2.8*	51%	600	585
60.	Philosophy, University of California-San Diego	-2.3	7.2	77%	3.5	3.8	$24,484	3.0	18	2.2	39%	655	605
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (3)	# Fac (2)	Stu / Fac (-1)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
61.	Philosophy, University of Massachusetts-Amherst	-2.4	7.7	86%	3.4	3.4	$17,645	2.8	15	4.1	80%	575	565
62.	Philosophy, DePaul University	-3.0	7.7	67%	2.8*	2.8*	$14,009	2.6	17*	2.8*	69%	555	566
62.	Philosophy, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus	-3.0	6.9	69%	2.8*	2.8*	$17,204	2.2	17*	2.8*	86%	633*	616*
64.	Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago	-3.2	8.0	40%	2.5	2.3	$14,262	4.2	29	2.6	74%	585	590
65.	Philosophy, University of Florida	-3.3	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$16,219*	1.2	17*	2.8*	57%	640	620
66.	Philosophy, University of St Thomas	-3.5	7.2*	68%*	2.8*	2.8*	$12,922*	0.6	17*	2.8*	92%	580	585
67.	Philosophy, Saint Louis University-Main Campus	-3.7	6.2	75%	2.5	1.8	$20,933	3.8	17	0.5	76%	610	600
67.	Philosophy, University of Kansas Main Campus	-3.7	8.2	38%	2.7	2.1	$11,533	3.8	16	2.3	69%	633*	616*
69.	Philosophy, Yale University	-3.9	7.5	50%	1.9	1.9	$16,526	2.6	14	2.4	10%	740	740
70.	Philosophy, University of Arkansas Main Campus	-4.0	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,979*	1.2	17*	2.8*	87%	580	575
71.	Philosophy, University of South Florida	-4.3	6.9	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$17,506*	1.6	17*	2.8*	28%	565	555
72.	Philosophy, University of California-Los Angeles	-4.5	8.5	75%	4.0	4.4	$28,900	3.2	25	1.8	23%	665	630
73.	Philosophy, University of Nebraska at Lincoln	-5.5	7.2	55%*	2.4	2.1	$11,644	2.0	10	3.3	75%	605	595
74.	Philosophy, University of Georgia	-5.6	7.2*	66%*	1.8	1.9	$14,208*	2.0	14	1.9	62%	615	610
75.	Philosophy, Fordham University	-5.9	6.8	63%	2.2	1.8	$16,453	5.6	13	9.5	50%	590	600
75.	Philosophy, New York University	-5.9	7.2*	66%*	2.8*	2.8*	$20,594*	1.2	17*	2.8*	37%	665	665
77.	Philosophy, University of Miami	-6.0	7.9	67%	2.6	2.2	$15,255	2.4	8	2.3	46%	640	620
78.	Philosophy, Florida State University	-6.5	6.1	60%	1.9	2.0	$14,929	2.0	10	2.8	62%	585	575
79.	Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University	-6.8	7.2*	66%*	1.7	2.3	$18,335*	1.2	13	1.0	39%	720	660
80.	Philosophy, Tulane University of Louisiana	-7.4	6.5	45%	2.1	1.9	$15,879	1.6	11	3.7	45%	680	670
Rank	Department	Your Score	Yrs (-3)	Job (2)	Ed Eff (2)	Fac Qual (2)	Cost / Year (-5)	Deg / Yr (3)	# Fac (2)	Stu / Fac (-1)	UG Acc (-1)	SAT-M (1)	SAT-V (1)
Adjust your weights →			-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+	-+
81.	Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa	-7.6	8.2	53%	1.1	1.8	$10,330	4.4	13	2.6	65%	570	535
82.	Philosophy, Southern Illinois University Carbondale	-9.3	6.9	33%*	1.2	1.4	$11,636	4.6	13	1.1	77%	520	520
83.	Philosophy, The University of Tennessee	-9.7	7.7	69%	1.1	1.3	$13,774	3.2	11	2.4	44%	555	555
84.	Philosophy, University of Kentucky	-11.1	7.7	36%*	1.7	1.6	$12,008	2.2	16	1.7	79%	575	565
85.	Philosophy, Catholic University of America	-11.5	8.7	57%	2.6	2.2	$17,570	4.6	15	4.4	82%	565	580
86.	Philosophy, Wayne State University	-11.9	8.2	14%*	2.8*	2.8*	$13,864*	1.0	17*	2.8*	63%	633*	616*
87.	Philosophy, University of California-Irvine	-12.5	7.0	59%	3.0	3.3	$26,958	3.4	12	2.7	52%	620	580
88.	Philosophy, The New School	-12.8	8.7	49%	2.8*	2.8*	$34,130	13.6	17*	2.8*	51%	560	565
89.	Philosophy, Temple University	-13.7	7.4	53%	2.4	2.3	$21,565	4.0	14	3.3	63%	550	540
89.	Philosophy, University of Oregon	-13.7	7.5	40%	1.3	1.5	$13,284	4.0	9	3.1	91%	560	555
91.	Philosophy, University of California-Santa Barbara	-13.8	7.7	91%	2.0	2.5	$24,034	2.4	11	4.0	53%	600	580
92.	Philosophy, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	-16.5	7.2*	66%*	2.0	1.6	$19,226*	0.8	10	1.7	77%	565	545
93.	Philosophy, University of California-Davis	-17.6	7.9	70%	2.8*	2.8*	$28,043	1.8	17*	2.8*	55%	615	565
94.	Philosophy, University of Washington-Seattle Campus	-18.2	10.0	78%	2.8*	2.8*	$25,146	2.6	17*	2.8*	67%	610	590
95.	Philosophy, Duquesne University	-18.6	9.5	60%	1.7	1.3	$16,674	5.2	9	6.0	80%	565	560
96.	Philosophy, University of California-Riverside	-19.6	8.0	67%	2.6	2.6	$27,976	2.6	19	2.1	74%	565	510
97.	Philosophy, University of Iowa	-21.4	8.2	73%	2.7	2.2	$27,018	2.2	11	4.0	84%	600	585
98.	Philosophy, Claremont Graduate University	-34.0	9.7	73%	1.6	1.1	$24,844*	2.0	3	13.3	54%*	633*	616*

Unranked Philosophy Graduate Schools

Item Descriptions

Your Score

Your customized program score is a weighted sum of points for each item. The weights were selected on this page. For an item with importance weight W, a program receives W × S points for being S standard deviations above average. Larger values are better.

Years to Degree (Yrs)

Median time lapse from entering graduate school at the doctorate-granting institution to receipt of doctorate in years. Note that time spent obtaining a master's degree at a different institution is not counted. Your weight = -3. Smaller values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Placement Rate (Job)

Percentage of doctorate recipients from the program with definite plans at graduation (either a job or a postdoctoral position). Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (SED, 2000-2004)

Educational Effectiveness (Ed Eff)

Program effectiveness in educating research scholars and scientists, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not Effective" and 5 denoting "Extremely Effective." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Faculty Quality (Fac Qual)

Scholarly quality of program faculty, 1993. Scale of 0 to 5, with 0 denoting "Not sufficient for doctoral education" and 5 denoting "Distinguished." Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Cost Per Year (Cost / Year)

Low yearly cost (tuition, fees, room and board, other expenses) for an out of state student living on campus. Assumes median tuition remission. Your weight = -5. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Doctorates Granted per Year (Deg / Yr)

The average number of doctorates granted by the program per year between 2001 and 2005. Your weight = 3. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2001-2005)

Number of Faculty (# Fac)

Total number of faculty participating in the program. Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Grad Student / Faculty Ratio (Stu / Fac)

The number of graduate students per faculty member. Your weight = -1. Smaller values are better. (NRC, 1995)

Undergraduate Acceptance Rate (UG Acc)

The percentage of applicants the institution accepts into its undergraduate programs. Your weight = -1. Smaller values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Math SAT Score (SAT-M)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile mathematics SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Verbal SAT Score (SAT-V)

The average of the 25th and 75th percentile verbal SAT scores for undergraduates at the institution. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (IPEDS, 2005)

Missing Values

Missing values have been replaced with the average value for all programs in the field.

Data Sources

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

IPEDS is an annual, comprehensive set of surveys of all colleges and universities in the United States. The surveys are conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.  Learn more

National Research Council

The National Research Council conducts assessments of doctoral programs in the United States every 10 to 15 years). The data we use are from the most recent assessment, the 1995 study Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change. Learn more about the NRC study's methods here; order a copy here. The next NRC assessment is scheduled for release in Summer 2009.  Learn more

Survey of Earned Doctorates

The NSF/NIH/NEH/USED/USDA/NASA Survey of Earned Doctorates is an annual survey of all new recipients of doctorates from US universities at graduation. The average of the response rates for the 2000–2004 surveys was 92%.  Learn more

Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

The Survey is an annual assessment of the number and characteristics of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in science, engineering, and health-related fields. It is conducted by the National Science Foundation.  Learn more