2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k)
593
Ranked Colleges
49,282
Degrees Awarded
$3,000
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,387 and had an average of $23,175 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 593 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 593 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 136 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $371 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Duke.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Duke University
Out of the 593 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 86 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, 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 86%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 141 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Yale University is $961 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Yale University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.
Brown also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $1,468 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brown.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.8%, 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Brown
Out of the 593 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #5 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Johns Hopkins
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 139 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,500 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full University of Chicago Political Science & Government Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 154 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $580 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Pennsylvania
Harvard University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 157 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,564 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Harvard University
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 140 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Northwestern University Political Science & Government Report
Princeton University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
Princeton also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $2,958 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 & Government at Princeton University
Rice University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 59 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $4,443 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Rice Political Science & Government Report
Vanderbilt University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 98 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,176 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt
With a ranking of #13, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 306 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $3,077 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 & Government at Georgetown University
With a ranking of #14, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and it awarded 38 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Williams is in the top on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $1,451 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Williams College.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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.
Full Williams Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #15, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 285 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
U-M also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $2,670 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at U-M
With a ranking of #16, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lexington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Washington and Lee is in the top on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It costs about $205 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington and Lee.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Washington and Lee
Washington University in St Louis landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 94 students in 2020-2021.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $1,556 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #18, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 407 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UF
Bowdoin College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brunswick, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bowdoin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It costs about $5,626 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bowdoin.
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. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Bowdoin
With a ranking of #20, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 166 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cornell has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $5,244 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Cornell
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 447 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison excels when it comes to political science quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UW - Madison
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 360 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Political Science & Government Report
Bates College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lewiston, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Bates also did well on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Bates College is $4,140 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Bates College
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 296 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Columbia University in the City of New York
Wake Forest University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 125 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wake Forest University is also in the top of our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Wake Forest University is $10,401 for Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Wake Forest University Political Science & Government Report
