2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
18
Ranked Colleges
1,575
Degrees Awarded
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 in Virginia 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.
Across Virginia, there were 1,575 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science 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 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.
More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Washington and Lee is a small school located in Lexington, Virginia that handed out 59 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $6,505 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington and Lee University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, 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 97%. 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 more about Political Science at Washington and Lee
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #2 spot on the list. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 170 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, William & Mary has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $10,995 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend William & Mary.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full William & Mary Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 114 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $16,019 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Political Science at University of Virginia
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Richmond landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 41 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
URichmond did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $16,063 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 University of Richmond Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 200 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Virginia Tech has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $18,372 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 93%.
Full Virginia Tech Political Science Report
With a ranking of #6, James Madison University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 130 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $19,216 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full James Madison University Political Science Report
George Mason University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
GMU also made our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $19,066 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at GMU
With a ranking of #8, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Old Dominion is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $16,954 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Political Science at Old Dominion
With a ranking of #9, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
Radford also made our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $16,716 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Radford University.
Read more about Political Science at Radford University
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 201 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, VCU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $18,553 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Mary Washington ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this small public school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
UMW also took the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,728 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UMW.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Mary Washington Political Science Report
Regent University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Regent is $24,954 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Political Science at Regent University
Roanoke College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Salem, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Roanoke has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roanoke is $23,983 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full Roanoke College Political Science Report
Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.
CNU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,165 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Christopher Newport University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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 CNU
Randolph - Macon College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Ashland, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon is $22,621 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Randolph - Macon College
Virginia State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Virginia State is located in Petersburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Virginia State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State is $19,200 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Political Science at Virginia State University
Liberty University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 177 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k list, Liberty University has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,305 for virginia poly sci students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Liberty University.
Full Liberty University Political Science Report
Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Hampden - Sydney is located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Hampden - Sydney also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hampden - Sydney College is $24,999 for Virginia Poly Sci students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. 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.
Full Hampden - Sydney Political Science Report
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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
- *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
