The Top Podcasts for College Students to Follow

Podcasts are a great way to use your spare time as a college student. They are easily available on a variety of streaming services and can help you learn and grow as a person as much as they can entertain you. 

However, you may be wondering, What are the best podcasts for college students? With endless topics that podcasts can cover, it can be difficult to know where to start. To help with that, we’ve curated in this article a list of the top 10 podcasts for college students as well as a list of the five best college student podcast episodes.

Why You Should Listen to College Podcasts

Podcasts for college students can be a great source of inspiration, helping you develop new ideas and expand your knowledge on subjects that interest you. Getting advice from experts through their podcasts can also help your personal development and career path. Your first year in college can be tough, but podcasts can provide entertainment while you settle into your new environment. 

What Makes a Great College Podcast?

• Building engagement: One of the most challenging parts of podcasting is engaging an audience. Having a strong and specific subject matter that will target a specific demographic, as well as an exciting and entertaining host, is key for a podcast to gain a following and keep listeners coming back for more. 
• Clarity and consistency: Being able to convey information well to an audience is important for podcasting. Clarity of the subject matter is essential for listeners so they can familiarize themselves with a podcast’s content. With a wide range of topics, a great podcast will want to choose a well-articulated host who communicates with ease.

• Audio quality: Bad audio quality can be a big detractor to keeping listeners engaged and willing to come back. Background noises or the use of bad microphones can be distracting. The use of proper audio equipment and good editing will go a long way.
• Authenticity: Authenticity is one of the most crucial elements in all top-quality educational podcasts. Podcasting is an intimate medium, the quality of which is often defined by the relationship between the host and the audience. A good podcaster embraces authenticity to cultivate this relationship. 
• Regular schedules: Good podcasts should follow a consistent release schedule. Knowing when a new episode will be released helps audience members consistently return. Much like TV programs, podcasts for college students should follow a routine schedule that audiences can trust. 

The 10 Best College Podcasts

1. You’re Wrong About

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

Subjects Covered: History, pop culture, news

This American history and pop culture podcast was created by hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall. Your knowledge of culturally significant events throughout history gets challenged by this podcast, which investigates the misrepresented and misremembered truth behind the printed headlines.

2. The College Info Geek

Available On: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher

Subjects Covered: Education, human interest

This podcast is equally as educational as it is entertaining, thanks to its hosts, Martin Boehme and Thomas Frank. This informational podcast can help you be a more effective student as its hosts discuss a wide variety of school-related subjects, provide in-depth advice that can boost productivity, in the hopes of getting you better grades.

3. My Favorite Murder

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Subjects Covered: True crime, comedy

This bi-weekly true crime comedy podcast is co-hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each of them chooses a true crime story or historical event to discuss. This highly entertaining podcast has been described by both hosts as a short therapy session to help them deal with their anxieties.

4. Unladylike

Available On: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

Subjects Covered: Women, feminism, writing

Caroline Ervin and Chrissy Conger take their podcast audience on a journey, navigating the social pressures women feel on a daily basis, as well as deconstructing the representation of women and their bodies in popular media. Driven by their love of research, both hosts provide insightful commentary on the daily struggles women face through personal stories or by inviting guests. 

5. Call Your Girlfriend

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Subjects Covered: Politics, pop culture

If you moved across the country for college and miss your bestie, this podcast hosted by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow is for you. Both hosts call each other to discuss current events in pop culture and politics. Since this popular podcast was launched in 2014, it has managed to gain a large following, with more than a hundred thousand listeners tuning in to each episode.

6. Collegehood Advice

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Subjects Covered: Education, student loans

This podcast for college students can help you quit your bad habits and develop a mindset that will lead you to succeed during your college days and in your everyday life. Every week, career coach Katy Oliveira, alongside her guests, shares tools, strategies, and insights that can help you become more organized, set realistic goals, improve your grades, and enjoy your overall college experience more.

7. Do the Thing with Whole30’s Melissa Urban

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Subjects Covered: Living a healthy life, finance, fitness

This podcast’s host deals with the importance of eating healthier, setting boundaries, exercising, recovering from addiction, and managing your money. Melissa Hartwig explores what you’ve been missing each time you have attempted to do something and failed, all the while helping you change your habits for the better. 

8. The Read

Available On: Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio

Subjects Covered: Hip hop, pop culture

The Read is an American variety and talk show, which stars Kid Fury and Crissle West as they joke and discuss hip-hop and all the newest pop culture phenomena with the occasional guest. The podcast premiered in 2019 and its episodes have an average run time of 30 minutes, perfect for a lunch break between classes.

9. TED Radio Hour

Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Subjects Covered: Crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts

Hosted by Manoush Zomorodi, this podcast examines some of the big questions of our era by teaming up with many of the greatest thinkers across the globe. This motivational podcast provides an insight into a series of TED Talks, inspiring listeners to question what they know not only about the world around them but what they know about themselves.

10. StarTalk

Available On: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Subjects Covered: Science, comedy, popular culture

This podcast, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, tackles all matter of science, comedy, and pop culture topics with several comedic celebrity co-hosts. If you’re interested in anything science-related, this is the perfect podcast for passing the time as you’ll feel more knowledgeable at the end of each episode, all while being thoroughly entertained. 

The Best College Podcast Episodes to Get You Started

Podcasts are a great way of having fun acquiring knowledge during your free time. However, it can be difficult to know where to begin, which is why we’ve curated a list of the best episodes of podcasts for college students to get you started.

Matthew Shepard | You’re Wrong About 

In this episode, hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall talk to guest Michael Owens about the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay university student, as well as the misrepresentation of the case in media. This episode is great for anyone interested in journalism, the gay rights movement, and social justice.

Not Counting Is the Key: The 6th Anniversary Special! | My Favorite Murder

In this episode, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark explore the history of pleading insanity through the murder of Aundria Bowman. This episode is fantastic for true crime, law, and history buffs alike and will give you a great idea of what kind of show My Favorite Murder is.

Ask Unladylike: Mean Office Ladies | Unladylike

In this episode of Unladylike, its hosts discuss the Mean Office Lady trope in popular media like The Office and The Devil Wears Prada. They encourage women to support each other. They also briefly discuss apologies and what defines a feminist marriage.

How to Be Better | TED Radio Hour

In this episode, TED speakers discuss the pitfalls that self-help advice often falls into. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to improve yourself. In fact, it takes work. If you’re a college student looking to reduce your stress, gain more confidence, and improve your social life, this is the episode for you.

Things You Thought You Knew | StarTalk

Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice debunk common misconceptions we have about the world that surrounds us, like the difference between weight, mass, and density. If you’re looking for an episode filled with science and humor, this is a great one to start with.

What Is the Best College Podcast?

Collegehood Advice could easily be considered one of the best podcasts for college students. This podcast gives advice on ways to develop mindsets and habits that can improve college students’ attitudes towards success. Students will come across different strategies and tools that can help them get better organized and have a better time in college.

Other inspiring podcasts for students that are on the more entertaining side are You’re Wrong About, College Info Geeks, and The Read. These podcasts are great for listening to during your downtime to learn new things while also having fun.

Best College Podcasts FAQ