The Best Universities for Psychology in the USA (2025)

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Psychology at a university in the USA. Here are just a few:

• The US is home to some of the world's best institutions for psychological research and teaching, such as Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University and Princeton University.
• To gain a comprehensive understanding of the human mind and behavior, studying psychology in the USA offers an excellent opportunity to explore a wide range of theoretical frameworks and approaches.
• As one of the most diverse countries on Earth, students have access to unique research opportunities across different cultures and backgrounds.
• In addition to top-notch academic programmes, many universities also offer internship and fieldwork options that allow aspiring psychologists the chance to gain practical experience within their chosen field.

The following tables gives the 10 top universities in the USA for Psychology, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which American universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

If you're wondering how these rankings affect your decision, our guide has more information on how to use international rankings as a postgraduate.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.