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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools

607 Colleges in the United States
47,686 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$34,399 Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #20 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 607 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 47,686 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science & Government rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science & government schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Political Science & Government Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Political Science
Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science
Master's Degrees in Political Science
Doctor's Degrees in Political Science

The political science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Political Science & Government Schools. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the political science degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Political Science

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Political Science Degrees Awarded
14.5% Growth in Graduates

Yale University is a great option for students interested in a degree in political science & government. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.

There were approximately 165 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at Yale University earn $22,934 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Yale University

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
191 Political Science Degrees Awarded
17.8% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in political science & government has to check out Harvard University. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great university overall.

There were approximately 191 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at Harvard University earn $24,409 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Harvard University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$49,929 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is a great decision for students interested in a degree in political science & government. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of around $15,530 over the typical earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Pennsylvania

4
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
308 Political Science Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in political science & government needs to look into Georgetown University. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were approximately 308 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Georgetown University earn $20,731 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Georgetown University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
131 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$48,082 Median Starting Salary

UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 131 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of Chicago earn a boost of around $13,683 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Chicago

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
308 Political Science Degrees Awarded
3.9% Growth in Graduates

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 308 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Columbia University in the City of New York receive $17,697 more than the average political science student.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Political Science Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were about 159 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Johns Hopkins University receive $32,976 more than the typical political science grad.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Johns Hopkins University

8
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$43,130 Median Starting Salary

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Duke University receive an earnings boost of approximately $8,731 above the average earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Duke University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Political Science Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Stanford University get an earnings boost of approximately $12,008 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Stanford University

10
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In TX
44 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 1st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 44 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Rice University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$45,960 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 125 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at Northwestern University earn $11,561 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Northwestern University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$43,036 Median Starting Salary

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. This university ranks 1st out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 190 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Notre Dame receive $8,637 more than the typical political science student.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Notre Dame

13
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$57,095 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 1st out of 17 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Hampshire.

There were approximately 153 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Dartmouth College make $22,696 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Dartmouth College

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Political Science Degrees Awarded
21.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 124 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Vanderbilt University receive an earnings boost of about $9,528 over the average income of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Vanderbilt University

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$51,469 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 157 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Cornell University get an earnings boost of about $17,070 over the typical earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Cornell University

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$45,909 Median Starting Salary

WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. This university ranks 1st out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 92 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis receive an earnings boost of about $11,510 over the typical earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Washington University in St Louis

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
492 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$40,526 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 492 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at University of California - Berkeley get $6,127 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$41,043 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 139 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at University of Southern California make $6,644 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Southern California

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
707 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,138 Median Starting Salary

UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 5th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 707 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career income of $35,138.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$37,831 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 100 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at Princeton University make $3,432 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Princeton University

21
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$50,186 Median Starting Salary

Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence. This university ranks 1st out of 9 schools for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were roughly 75 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at Brown University make $15,787 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Brown University

22
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49th Most Popular In CA
46 Political Science Degrees Awarded

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.

There were roughly 46 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Claremont McKenna College

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
248 Political Science Degrees Awarded
1.6% Growth in Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. This university ranks 4th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 248 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from New York University make $14,089 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a degree in political science & government from New York University

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
469 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$57,881 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 469 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from George Washington University make $23,481 more than the average political science graduate.

More information about a degree in political science & government from George Washington University

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
391 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,789 Median Starting Salary

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison. This university ranks 1st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were about 391 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career income of $35,789.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rest of the Top 50 Best Political Science & Government Schools

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28
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
29
30
31
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
32

33

34
35
36
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
37
38
39
40
41

42
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

43
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA
44
45
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
46
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
47
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
48
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Political Science & Government Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 607 different United States political science & government schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, ME
52Boston UniversityBoston, MA
53Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
54Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
55Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA
56Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA
57Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
58Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
59Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX
60Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
61Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA
62University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
63Claremont Graduate UniversityClaremont, CA
64University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
65Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
66Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
67William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA
68Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
69Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
70University of DelawareNewark, DE
71Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY
72University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbia, MO
73George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
74Trinity CollegeHartford, CT
75University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
76Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
77The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
78Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
79Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
80Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
81University of IowaIowa City, IA
82Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
83Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, TX
84University of California - RiversideRiverside, CA
85Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
86Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
87University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
88DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
89Colby CollegeWaterville, ME
90University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
91University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Political Science & Government Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
92Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY
93University of RochesterRochester, NY
94Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
95University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
96University of California - Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA
97Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA
98University of KansasLawrence, KS
99Bates CollegeLewiston, ME
100Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
101The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
102College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA
103Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
104Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
105Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
106Haverford CollegeHaverford, PA
107University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
108The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
109Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY
110University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL
111Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA
112Pitzer CollegeClaremont, CA
113Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
114James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
115St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, MN
116Denison UniversityGranville, OH
117Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
118University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA
119Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH
120University of OregonEugene, OR
121Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA

Political Science & Government by Region

View the Best Political Science & Government Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Political Science & Government is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science45,964
Other Political Science & Government1,026
American Government & Politics (United States)360
Political Economy336

View All Political Science Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Economics47,809
Sociology35,816
General Social Sciences17,338
International Relations & National Security13,958
Anthropology11,105
Geography & Cartography8,281
Other Social Sciences2,116
Urban Studies1,453
Sociology & Anthropology520
Archeology333

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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