2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region
128Colleges in the Southeast Region
11,126Political Science Degrees Awarded
$32,164Avg 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.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 128 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for political science & government students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 11,126 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School
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
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 in the Southeast Region.
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.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the Southeast Region
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.
19 Top Southeast Region Schools in Political Science
Duke University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were about 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Duke University earn $10,966 more than the typical political science graduate.
Every student pursuing a degree in political science & government has to take a look at Vanderbilt University. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were about 124 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Vanderbilt University receive $11,763 more than the typical political science student.
Any student who is interested in political science & government has to look into University of Virginia - Main Campus. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 126 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive $12,965 more than the typical political science grad.
Emory University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.
There were roughly 85 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government major at Emory University earn $5,024 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were roughly 365 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn a boost of about $3,745 over the average income of political science & government majors.
Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #83 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Washington and Lee is a great university overall.
There were approximately 69 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Washington and Lee in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Washington and Lee University earn a boost of approximately $15,067 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.
UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.
There were approximately 452.99999999999994 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make about $28,878 for their early career.
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were approximately 197 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at Virginia Tech get $6,365 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #78 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Tulane is a great university overall.
There were approximately 175 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, political science degree recipients generally earn about $30,254 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 4th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Wake Forest University earn $17,563 more than the average political science graduate.
UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 239 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career wages of $33,737.
William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. This school ranks 4th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 142 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at William & Mary get $11,466 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 218 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of approximately $10,811 above the average income of political science & government majors.
Florida State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee. This university ranks 3rd out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 483 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Florida State University make $9,094 more than the typical political science graduate.
Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were approximately 205 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program earn an average of $31,397 in their early career salary.
UA is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Tuscaloosa. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.
There were approximately 221 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year. After graduating, political science degree recipients generally make an average of $33,300 at the beginning of their careers.
UT Knoxville is a fairly large public university located in the city of Knoxville. This university ranks 2nd out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 171 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $28,920.
U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.
There were roughly 101 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,000.
Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 354 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make around $29,318 for their early career.
Rest of the Top Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region
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 in the Southeast Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
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.
