2023 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science in California
177
Ranked Colleges
8,360
Degrees Awarded
$34,100
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Political Science is the 13th most popular major in the country with 47,549 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 8,360 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California” ranking, we looked at 177 colleges that offer a degree in political science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular political science programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The poly sci school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california poly sci students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science in California
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 in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 713 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at UCLA
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 537 students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Political Science at UC Berkeley
Out of the 177 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 409 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, 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 UCSD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 361 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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%. 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 University of California - Irvine
Out of the 177 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 328 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Read more about Political Science at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 279 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Full UC Davis Political Science Report
University of California - Riverside landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 256 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students 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%. 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 UCR
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 214 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full CSUN Political Science Report
With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 201 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at University of California - Santa Cruz
California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 200 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 89%.
Read more about Political Science at CSULB
Santa Monica College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Santa Monica College is a public institution located in Santa Monica, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 219 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read full report on Political Science at Santa Monica College
California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California list. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 167 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at Sac State
San Diego State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at San Diego State University
California State University - Fullerton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 131 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
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 2.5% 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 California State University - Fullerton
San Francisco State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 131 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Political Science Report
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 121 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. 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%.
Full USC Political Science Report
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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 SCU
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 102 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students 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%.
Full Cal State LA Political Science Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 96 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Jose State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 95 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at San Jose State
With a ranking of #21, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California list. UC Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 94 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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%.
Read more about Political Science at University of California - Merced
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 93 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at Cal Poly Pomona
California State University - Chico landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Chico
Loyola Marymount University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, 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 90 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola Marymount University Political Science Report
Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%. 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.
Read more about Political Science at Stanford
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