2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
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 Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Political Science is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,740 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,729 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,312 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 116 colleges that offered a degree in political science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $1,866 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,712 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 320 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $3,166 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 363 students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $4,367 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Madison.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 259 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
University of Notre Dame came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 181 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
Notre Dame also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Notre Dame is $12,498 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Purdue has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $5,483 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science at Purdue University - Main Campus
Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 119 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Michigan State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $6,686 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Political Science at Michigan State University
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 92 students in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $4,969 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 289 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Ohio State also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $8,194 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Political Science Report
Oberlin College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oberlin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.
Oberlin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oberlin is $9,037 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Indiana University - East did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Indiana University - East is a public institution located in Richmond, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,622 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana University - East.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. UW - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 35 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $7,939 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized public school situated in River Falls, Wisconsin. It awarded 12 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,366 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - River Falls.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
With a ranking of #15, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 40 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $5,052 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 42 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,868 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Whitewater.
Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Political Science Report
With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Green Bay, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,337 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Green Bay.
Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Political Science Report
With a ranking of #18, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $6,911 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Political Science at Purdue University Northwest
University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,117 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Platteville.
Full University of Wisconsin - Platteville Political Science Report
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $11,446 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Political Science Report
With a ranking of #21, Beloit College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Beloit, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Beloit is $8,574 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $8,055 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Political Science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 38 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $11,528 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #24, University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,652 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Parkside.
University of Southern Indiana came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Evansville, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Indiana is $8,244 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 full report on Political Science at University of Southern Indiana
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
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