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2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

51 Ranked Colleges
2,307 Degrees Awarded
$10,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

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 “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Political Science & Government is the 20th most popular major in the country with 49,282 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Plains States region, there were 2,307 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,104 and $23,948 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 51 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $1,556 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Washington University in St Louis

2

Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 259 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $7,698 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UMN Twin Cities

3

Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Morris landed the #3 spot on the list. UMN Morris is a small school located in Morris, Minnesota that handed out 10 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UMN Morris is $3,941 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UMN Morris

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

UMN Duluth also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,843 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UMN Duluth

5

Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #5 spot on the list. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 134 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Mizzou has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $11,005 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mizzou.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Mizzou Political Science & Government Report

6

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 69 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $9,766 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Iowa State University

7
Macalester crest
Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Macalester College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Macalester College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 39 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Macalester not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Macalester College is $13,926 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Macalester Political Science & Government Report

8
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Grinnell College is located in Grinnell, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Grinnell has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grinnell College is $12,835 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Grinnell

9
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 136 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $13,554 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Iowa.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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.

Full Iowa Political Science & Government Report

10
Truman State crest
Truman State University
Kirksville, Missouri

Truman State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kirksville, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Truman State is $7,208 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Political Science & Government at Truman State

11
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

St Olaf College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

St. Olaf not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $11,112 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at St Olaf College

12
UMSL crest
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #12, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Missouri - St Louis is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - St Louis is $9,991 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Missouri - St Louis

13
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

UNI also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $10,513 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Northern Iowa

14

With a ranking of #14, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UNL also took the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $11,672 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Political Science & Government at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

15
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Dakota is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UND did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,394 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Dakota.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UND

16
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

With a ranking of #16, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school awarded 111 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $15,666 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend KU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 86%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Kansas

17

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. UNOMAHA is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UNOMAHA is $10,578 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UNOMAHA

18

North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 25 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Dakota State University has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University is $11,835 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full North Dakota State University Political Science & Government Report

19
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school awarded 55 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

K -State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $13,436 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 full report on Political Science & Government at K -State

20

Northwest Missouri State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Maryville, Missouri, and it awarded 22 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $9,906 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwest.

Full Northwest Political Science & Government Report

21
St. Cloud State University crest
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. St. Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend St. Cloud State University is $10,348 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Saint Cloud State University

22
Gustavus Adolphus crest
Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, Minnesota

With a ranking of #22, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Peter, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Gustavus Adolphus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Gustavus Adolphus is $15,735 for Plains States 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 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Gustavus Adolphus

23

University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,724 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 full report on Political Science & Government at University of Missouri - Kansas City

24
Southeast Missouri State University crest
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

With a ranking of #24, Southeast Missouri State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southeast Missouri State University is located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $10,359 for Plains States Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southeast Missouri State University.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Southeast Missouri State University

25
SJU crest
Saint Johns University
Collegeville, Minnesota

Saint Johns University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Collegeville, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

SJU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $15,314 for plains states region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Johns University.

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%.

Full SJU Political Science & Government Report

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