College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

45 Colleges in the Plains States Region
2,042 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,109 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #12 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 45 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,042 bachelor's degrees in political science & government during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region The political science bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for political science & government students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Political Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
201 Annual Graduates
$40,208 Median Starting Salary
$24,035 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get an earnings boost of around $6,099 above the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
75 Annual Graduates

Washington University in St Louis is a wonderful decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Washington University in St Louis

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
139 Annual Graduates
$39,133 Median Starting Salary
$34,634 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to take a look at University of Iowa. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of Iowa receive an earnings boost of about $5,024 over the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Iowa

4
169 Annual Graduates
$37,722 Median Starting Salary
$38,234 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to look into University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at University of Missouri - Columbia get $3,613 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
130 Annual Graduates
$33,700 Median Starting Salary
$62,163 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program state that they receive average early career wages of $33,700.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Kansas

6
80 Annual Graduates
$36,364 Median Starting Salary
$23,530 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at University of Nebraska - Lincoln get $2,255 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

7
74 Annual Graduates
$30,715 Median Starting Salary
$35,734 Median Student Debt

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Ames.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program earn an average of $30,715 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Iowa State University

8
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA

Grinnell is a small private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Grinnell.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Grinnell College get $2,553 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Grinnell College

9
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN

Located in the town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, political science bachelor's recipients typically make around $30,953 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from St Olaf College

10
Macalester crest
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN

Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Macalester is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Macalester College receive $5,330 more than the standard political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Macalester College

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Plains States Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
12 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
13 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
14 Drake University Des Moines, IA
15 Creighton University Omaha, NE

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 549
Minnesota 215 674
Iowa 197 389
Kansas 184 260
Nebraska 180 193
North Dakota 149 55
South Dakota 148 66

View All Rankings >

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

Political Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 2,013
American Government & Politics (United States) 23
Other Political Science & Government 5
Political Economy 1

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 1,821
Sociology 1,074
Anthropology 497
General Social Sciences 305
International Relations & National Security 236
Geography & Cartography 198
Sociology & Anthropology 62
Urban Studies 45
Archeology 5
Other Social Sciences 4

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options