Anthropology is the systematic study of humanity across time and place. It examines human biology and evolution, cultures and societies, languages, and the material remains of past communities. In the four-field approach commonly used in the United States, the discipline includes biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.
Graduates of anthropology courses and degree programs can work in a variety of sectors, including business, education, research, government, health-related organizations, museums, nonprofits, and public service. This article highlights top universities with established anthropology programs.
Top Anthropology Schools in the World
1. University of Cambridge
As its name suggests, the University of Cambridge is located in Cambridge, England. Established in 1209, it is one of the world’s oldest universities. Cambridge’s current official figures list 126 Nobel Prize laureates, 47 heads of state, and 217 Olympic medalists among its alumni and affiliates.
The University of Cambridge is a collegiate research university with 31 constituent colleges. It enrolled 24,912 students from 142 countries during the 2024–25 academic year.
At the undergraduate level, students can study social anthropology through the three-year Human, Social, and Political Sciences Bachelor of Arts program. The Department of Social Anthropology, within the Faculty of Human, Social and Political Sciences, also offers MPhil and PhD programs in social anthropology.
2. University of Oxford
Situated in the English city of Oxford, the University of Oxford is a prominent institution for higher education and anthropology. It ranked first in the world for anthropology in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
Oxford reports that international students account for 43% of its student body, with approximately 12,565 international students representing more than 170 countries and territories as of December 1, 2025. The university is organized into four academic divisions: Humanities; Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences; Medical Sciences; and Social Sciences.
Anthropology has been taught at Oxford since 1883, when E. B. Tylor began giving lectures at the university. In 1905, Oxford established the Diploma in Anthropology, the first program of its kind in the United Kingdom. Today, the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography offers the Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology and Anthropology, several one- and two-year master’s programs, and doctoral study leading to the DPhil, Oxford’s equivalent of a PhD.
3. Harvard University
Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University was founded in 1636. Its Department of Anthropology offers undergraduate students four concentration tracks: Archaeology, Social Anthropology, Combined Archaeology and Social Anthropology, and Anthropology and Medicine.
At the graduate level, Harvard offers PhD training in archaeology and social anthropology. The department also has a terminal A.M. in Medical Anthropology that requires at least one year in residence, but admissions to the program are currently paused. Non-terminal A.M. degrees may also be awarded to eligible anthropology students during their PhD studies.
4. University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university that was chartered in 1868. Its Department of Anthropology offers an undergraduate anthropology major and PhD programs in archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology.
Berkeley’s Department of Anthropology was established on September 10, 1901. Its first professor was Alfred Louis Kroeber, an American cultural anthropologist who studied under Franz Boas at Columbia University. Berkeley does not accept applications for a stand-alone M.A. in anthropology, although PhD students may complete an optional M.A. examination during their doctoral studies.
5. Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university in Canberra, Australia. It was established in August 1946 under the Australian National University Act 1946, an act of the Australian Parliament.
ANU offers an undergraduate Anthropology Major, a Master of Anthropology, and a Master of Anthropology and Planetary Futures. Students may also pursue doctoral research in anthropology through the university’s research-degree pathways. Its teaching and research cover areas such as social and cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeology, and the societies and cultures of the Asia-Pacific region.
6. University College London
University College London (UCL) was established in 1826 as London’s first university and began its bicentenary celebrations on February 11, 2026.
UCL’s Department of Anthropology offers the Anthropology BSc, the Anthropology with a Year Abroad BSc, taught postgraduate programs, and an Anthropology MPhil/PhD research degree. The department is currently organized into five subsections: Evolutionary and Environmental Anthropology, Material Culture, Medical Anthropology, Public Anthropology, and Social Anthropology.
7. London School of Economics and Political Science
The London School of Economics and Political Science, commonly known as LSE, was founded in 1895 and specializes in the social sciences. It is a member institution of the University of London federation, which it joined in 1900.
Anthropology has been taught at LSE since 1904. The discipline rose to prominence at the institution under Bronisław Malinowski, who arrived at LSE in 1910. The Department of Anthropology currently offers undergraduate programs including the BA and BSc in Social Anthropology and the BA in Anthropology and Law, a 12-month full-time MSc in Social Anthropology with a 24-month part-time option for eligible home students, and an MRes/PhD program in anthropology.
We hope that this article on the best anthropology schools in the world was helpful. If you are interested, check out the Available Programs for International Students!
