2023 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science
1,275
Ranked Colleges
47,549
Degrees Awarded
$36,100
Avg Cost*
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 “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 47,549 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major” ranking, we looked at 1,275 colleges that offer a degree in political science. To top this list, a school must have a successful political science program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 713 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 96%.
Full UCLA Political Science Report
Out of the 1,275 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 537 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 1,275 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 513 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Florida State Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 424 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Political Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 409 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Political Science at UCSD
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 400 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full ASU - Tempe Political Science Report
University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #7. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 381 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at University of Central Florida
University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 361 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Full University of California - Irvine Political Science Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 360 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #10. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 407 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Florida Political Science Report
George Washington University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 343 students in 2020-2021.
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 88%.
Read full report on Political Science at George Washington University
Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #11. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 345 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science at Florida International University
With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 335 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 more about Political Science at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 335 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Political Science Report
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 330 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 95%.
Read full report on Political Science at UMCP
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 328 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 more about Political Science at University of California - Santa Barbara
With a ranking of #17, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 305 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at Texas A&M University - College Station
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 285 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at U-M
University of California - Davis ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 279 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Political Science at UC Davis
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 296 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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 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.
Read full report on Political Science at Columbia University in the City of New York
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #20. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 277 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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 94%.
Full Ohio State Political Science Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 259 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Political Science Report
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #23. CU - Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 258 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CU - Boulder Political Science Report
With a ranking of #24, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 257 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Political Science Report
University of California - Riverside ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 256 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 more about Political Science at UCR
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