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2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Economy (With Aid)

11 Ranked Colleges
358 Degrees Awarded
$25,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 358 people earned their degree in political economy, making the major the 665th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political economy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political economy programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political economy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Political Economy (With Aid)

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #1 spot on the list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political economy degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $13,107 for Political Economy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Political Economy Report

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political economy degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

Duke also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $32,459 for Political Economy students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Duke Political Economy Report

3
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 58 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $32,108 for political economy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Political Economy at Georgetown

4
SUNY Old Westbury crest
SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, New York

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, SUNY Old Westbury landed the #4 spot on the list. SUNY Old Westbury is located in Old Westbury, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s political economy degrees to qualified students.

SUNY Old Westbury did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Old Westbury is $10,182 for political economy students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Economy at SUNY Old Westbury

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Bothell Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Bothell, Washington, and it awarded 80 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Bothell also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $11,562 for Political Economy students with aid per year to attend University of Washington - Bothell Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Political Economy at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political economy degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $32,569 for Political Economy students with aid.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Political Economy at USC

7
EOU crest
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, Oregon

Eastern Oregon University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. EOU is a public institution located in La Grande, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

EOU also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Oregon University is $14,436 for political economy students with aid.

Full Eastern Oregon University Political Economy Report

8
Rhodes College crest
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Rhodes College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Rhodes College is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s political economy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rhodes College, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rhodes College is $25,881 for Political Economy students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Economy at Rhodes College

9
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

Tulane University of Louisiana ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Tulane is a fairly large school located in New Orleans, Louisiana that handed out 36 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our political economy students with aid list, Tulane has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tulane is $39,749 for Political Economy students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Tulane University of Louisiana Political Economy Report

10
Rollins crest
Rollins College
Winter Park, Florida

Rollins College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Winter Park, Florida, and it awarded 11 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

Rollins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Rollins is $29,562 for Political Economy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Rollins College Political Economy Report

11
Puget Sound crest
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington

With a ranking of #11, University of Puget Sound did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Puget Sound, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. It costs about $33,562 for Political Economy students with aid per year to attend Puget Sound.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Puget Sound Political Economy Report

Notes and References

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