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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California

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Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2021-2022, 45,964 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 7,757 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California” ranking, we looked at 177 colleges that offer a degree in political science. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california poly sci students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Political Science in California

1
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Scripps College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Scripps College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California. Scripps College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 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.

Read more about Political Science at Scripps

2
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Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Out of the 177 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 46 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Claremont McKenna Political Science Report

3
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Occidental College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2021-2022.

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 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Oxy Political Science Report

4
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Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California. Pomona College is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 25 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

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. 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 Pomona Political Science Report

5
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pitzer College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California. Pitzer is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 21 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science at Pitzer

6

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 707 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Political Science Report

7

University of California - Merced came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Merced, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 119 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Merced

8

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 268 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCSB Political Science Report

9
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Copper Mountain Community College
Joshua Tree, California

Copper Mountain Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Joshua Tree, California, and it awarded 3 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Copper Mountain Community College Political Science Report

10

University of California - Berkeley landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 492 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at UC Berkeley

11
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Whittier College
Whittier, California

Whittier College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Located in Whittier, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.

Full Whittier Political Science Report

12
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Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. SCU is located in Santa Clara, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 72 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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%.

Full Santa Clara University Political Science Report

13

University of California - Riverside came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 266 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Riverside

14

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 328 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - San Diego

15

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 178 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Santa Cruz

16
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 91 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 Loyola Marymount Political Science Report

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 248 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at UC Irvine

18
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Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Westmont is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Westmont College Political Science Report

19
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. Claremont Graduate University is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 21 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 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 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Claremont Graduate University Political Science Report

20
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Orange, 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 75 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 92%.

Full Chapman University Political Science Report

21

University of California - Davis ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 277 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Davis

22
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California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Thousand Oaks, California. It awarded 24 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 California Lutheran University

23
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 26 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

Read full report on Political Science at San Diego Mesa College

24
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Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. This large school is located in Santa Monica, California, and it awarded 177 ’s poly sci degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Santa Monica College Political Science Report

25

With a ranking of #25, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California list. Located in Camarillo, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Channel Islands

Rest of the Best 27 in Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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Notes and References

References

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