2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $48-$75k)
585
Ranked Colleges
47,549
Degrees Awarded
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Political Science is the 13th most popular major in the country with 47,549 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 585 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools
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 Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $2,815 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Yale University Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 86 students in 2020-2021.
Stanford also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $7,081 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 157 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $2,669 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Harvard Political Science Report
Out of the 585 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #4 spot on the list. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Duke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $7,160 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read more about Political Science at Duke University
Out of the 585 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #5 spot on the list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 296 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $8,106 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 95%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Political Science at Columbia
Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 140 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $5,849 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Northwestern University
University of Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 139 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,375 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UChicago.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Chicago Political Science Report
Johns Hopkins University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $8,457 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Political Science at Johns Hopkins
With a ranking of #9, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $6,152 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Rice Political Science Report
Washington and Lee University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Washington and Lee University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 59 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,505 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington and Lee.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Political Science at Washington and Lee University
Vanderbilt University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 98 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $7,694 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Vanderbilt Political Science Report
Princeton University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 108 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $5,542 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Political Science at Princeton University
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 168 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth College is $12,172 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Dartmouth College Political Science Report
With a ranking of #14, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Williams College is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 38 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Williams also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $5,576 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at Williams
Colby College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Waterville, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Colby also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Colby College is $5,536 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. The undergraduate 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.
Full Colby College Political Science Report
University of Pennsylvania came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $12,020 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Pennsylvania
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 166 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $9,785 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cornell University.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at Cornell University
With a ranking of #18, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 95 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Brown has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,219 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Political Science at Brown
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 285 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $10,481 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Political Science Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 335 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $8,393 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 Science at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Amherst College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Amherst College is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 29 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Amherst excels when it comes to poly sci quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Amherst College is $7,793 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Political Science at Amherst College
Washington University in St Louis landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $8,149 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Political Science at WUSTL
University of Florida landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 407 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $8,394 for Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UF.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at UF
Georgetown University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 237 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $12,505 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science at Georgetown
Haverford College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Haverford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It awarded 33 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Haverford excels when it comes to poly sci quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $17,402 for poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Haverford.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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.
Full Haverford College Political Science Report