2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
86
Ranked Colleges
5,797
Degrees Awarded
$8,300
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,797 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,195 and $24,420 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 86 colleges that offer 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science and government program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 139 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,500 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Full University of Chicago Political Science & Government Report
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 140 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $245 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Northwestern Political Science & Government Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 285 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $2,670 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.
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 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 & Government at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #4 spot on the list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 447 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $3,981 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
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 95%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Madison
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 257 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for Great Lakes Region 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 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Political Science & Government Report
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 135 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,995 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Purdue University - Main Campus
University of Notre Dame came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 204 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Notre Dame has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $9,872 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Notre Dame.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Notre Dame
With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $5,752 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at IU Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 277 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $7,068 for Great Lakes Region 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Michigan State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 152 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,927 for great lakes region 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 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Michigan State Political Science & Government Report
Oberlin College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oberlin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.
Oberlin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oberlin is $8,756 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Oberlin College
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 33 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $7,026 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Full Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 59 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $7,517 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Kenyon College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Gambier, Ohio, and it awarded 26 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Kenyon also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,958 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kenyon.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Kenyon College
With a ranking of #15, Beloit College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Beloit, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Beloit College is $7,970 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Beloit College
With a ranking of #16, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 195 students in 2020-2021.
Miami University - Oxford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Miami University - Oxford is $13,956 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Miami University - Oxford
With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $8,438 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at UW - River Falls
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 100 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,549 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Chicago
With a ranking of #19, DePauw University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Greencastle, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
DePauw did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend DePauw is $19,503 for Great Lakes Region 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%. 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 89%.
Full DePauw Political Science & Government Report
Wabash College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Crawfordsville, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Wabash not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wabash is $16,637 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Wabash
Ball State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 27 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,273 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ball State Political Science & Government Report
University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Evansville, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,815 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.
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%.
Full USI Political Science & Government Report
Oakland University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 44 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $8,949 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Oakland University
Purdue University Northwest ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 11 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University Northwest is $6,775 for great lakes region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Purdue Northwest
With a ranking of #25, Indiana State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Terre Haute, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $10,104 for Great Lakes Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana State.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Indiana State
