2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
592
Ranked Colleges
49,282
Degrees Awarded
$3,900
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 592 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science and government programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
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 For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 592 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 136 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $-927 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
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 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 141 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Yale also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $3,083 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Yale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 157 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $1,396 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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
Out of the 592 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #4 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 86 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,581 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 139 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $4,777 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Chicago
With a ranking of #6, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 108 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It costs about $4,502 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Princeton
With a ranking of #7, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 154 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $1,938 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Political Science & Government Report
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 296 students in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It costs about $4,699 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia.
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 1.7% 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%. 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 Columbia Political Science & Government Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. 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 #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $917 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Northwestern University
With a ranking of #10, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Williams is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Williams also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. It costs about $5,480 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Williams.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Williams College
Dartmouth College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized school located in Hanover, New Hampshire that handed out 168 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Dartmouth is $8,718 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Dartmouth Political Science & Government Report
Washington and Lee University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 59 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee also claimed a top spot 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 Washington and Lee is $850 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Washington and Lee University
With a ranking of #13, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 156 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Johns Hopkins Political Science & Government Report
Brown University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 95 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Brown also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $2,842 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brown.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Brown University
Vanderbilt University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $4,652 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Full Vanderbilt Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #16, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 94 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, WUSTL has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $2,446 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at WUSTL
Cornell University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cornell University is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 166 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,133 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell.
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. 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%. 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 Cornell University
Claremont McKenna College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Claremont McKenna is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 38 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, Claremont McKenna has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna College is $8,693 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 full report on Political Science & Government at Claremont McKenna College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 285 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $5,670 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at U-M
With a ranking of #20, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 59 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students 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 $1,340 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Rice University
With a ranking of #21, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 407 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UF 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. It costs about $2,857 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Florida.
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 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UF
With a ranking of #22, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 306 students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $9,871 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Georgetown University
Amherst College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Amherst is a small school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 29 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Amherst is in the top 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 estimated yearly cost for Amherst College is $4,459 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full Amherst College Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #24, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 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 $5,612 for political science students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full Wake Forest University Political Science & Government Report
Colby College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Waterville, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 76 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Colby is in the top 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 estimated yearly cost for Colby College is $2,361 for Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full Colby Political Science & Government Report
