2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income Over $110k) in Virginia
18
Ranked Colleges
1,786
Degrees Awarded
$30,100
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Virginia, there were 1,786 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,500 and $25,463 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer 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.
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
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 Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
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Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income Over $110k) in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 200 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,301 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 Virginia Tech
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 217 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $19,551 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full George Mason University Political Science & Government Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $22,006 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 130 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,562 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at JMU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. Regent is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Regent is $24,888 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
Full Regent University Political Science & Government Report
William & Mary landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $19,593 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full William & Mary Political Science & Government Report
Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $17,204 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
Full Old Dominion Political Science & Government Report
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school handed out 201 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
VCU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $20,490 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
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 full report on Political Science & Government at VCU
With a ranking of #9, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.
CNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Christopher Newport University is $25,855 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k.
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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CNU Political Science & Government Report
University of Mary Washington did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #10. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 44 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UMW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend UMW is $23,193 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Full University of Mary Washington Political Science & Government Report
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #11. Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k list, Radford has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,505 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Radford.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Radford
Washington and Lee University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Washington and Lee University 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 took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $26,175 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
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%. 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 8 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 and Lee University
Roanoke College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Roanoke also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke College is $26,997 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
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 more about Political Science & Government at Roanoke College
With a ranking of #14, Randolph - Macon College did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in Ashland, Virginia, and it awarded 14 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon also took the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon College is $25,551 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Randolph - Macon College
Liberty University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 177 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k list, Liberty University has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $29,382 for virginia political science students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Liberty University.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Liberty University
Virginia State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Virginia State is a public institution located in Petersburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,237 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Virginia State.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Virginia State University
Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #17. Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 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.
Hampden - Sydney also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $30,746 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Hampden - Sydney.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Hampden - Sydney College
With a ranking of #18, University of Richmond did quite well on the 2023 Best Vallue Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making Over $110k list. This small school is located in University of Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 41 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
URichmond also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Richmond is $27,050 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make more than $110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. 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.
Full URichmond Political Science & Government Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
