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2025 Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

83 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
5,552 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded
Political Science is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #13 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 83 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,552 degrees in political science annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science School

Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region The poly sci program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science rankings. For our Best Overall Political Science School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Political Science Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Poly Sci
Master's Degrees in Poly Sci
Doctor's Degrees in Poly Sci

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the poly sci degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

16 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Poly Sci

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
131 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in political science has to look into University of Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 131 political science students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
125 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Northwestern University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in political science. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 125 political science students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Northwestern University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Political Science Program Name

Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Political Science from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
190 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

University of Notre Dame is a good option for students pursuing a degree in political science. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 190 political science students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
374 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in political science. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 374 political science students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
254 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 254 political science students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
266 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 266 political science students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
289 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 289 political science students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI
139 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 139 political science students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Michigan State University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IN
108 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were roughly 108 political science students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
132 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #65 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were about 132 political science students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Purdue University - Main Campus

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OH
184 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. This university ranks 5th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 184 political science students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Miami University - Oxford

12
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In WI
103 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #114 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were roughly 103 political science students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Marquette University

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
169 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 169 political science students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In OH
85 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. This university ranks 6th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 85 political science students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
74 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 20th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 74 political science students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Northern Illinois University

16
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In OH

Xavier is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cincinnati. This university ranks 10th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 26 political science students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Xavier University

Rest of the Top Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
18 DePaul University Chicago, IL
19 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
20 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
21 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
22 Illinois State University Normal, IL
23 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
24 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
25 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
26 Denison University Granville, OH
27 University of Dayton Dayton, OH

Best Political Science Colleges by State

Explore the best political science colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 1,401
Michigan 915 1,021
Illinois 870 1,470
Indiana 737 794
Wisconsin 672 924

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Political Science & Government area of study, Political Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Poly Sci

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Political Science & Government 103
American Government & Politics (United States) 16
Political Economy 13

View All Poly Sci Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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