2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government in Virginia (With Aid)
18
Ranked Colleges
1,786
Degrees Awarded
$23,100
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 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 Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs that also have a lower cost than 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.
More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in Virginia For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia political science students with aid.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government in Virginia (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 114 ’s degrees 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. It costs about $22,006 for Virginia Political Science students with aid per year to attend University of Virginia.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 200 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for virginia political science students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Virginia Tech
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 170 students in 2020-2021.
William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $19,593 for virginia political science students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 William & Mary
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 Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. James Madison University is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 130 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,562 for Virginia Political Science students with aid.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science & Government at James Madison University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 217 students in 2020-2021.
GMU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $19,551 for Virginia Political Science students with aid per year to attend GMU.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full George Mason University Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #6, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Washington and Lee, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee is $26,175 for Virginia Political Science students with aid.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washington and Lee University Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #7, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 44 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion is $17,204 for virginia political science students with aid.
Full Old Dominion University Political Science & Government Report
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. VCU is a large school located in Richmond, Virginia that handed out 201 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $20,490 for virginia political science students with aid.
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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at VCU
Radford University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Radford is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 23 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,505 for virginia political science students with aid per year to attend Radford.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Radford
With a ranking of #10, Regent University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid 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.
Regent also took the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Regent University is $24,888 for virginia political science students with aid.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Regent
University of Richmond came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students with aid list, URichmond has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,050 for Virginia Political Science students with aid per year to attend URichmond.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national 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. 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
University of Mary Washington came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Mary Washington is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 44 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
UMW also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend UMW is $23,193 for Virginia Political Science students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMW Political Science & Government Report
Christopher Newport University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Christopher Newport University is a small public school situated in Newport News, Virginia. It awarded 87 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students with aid list, CNU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Christopher Newport University is $25,855 for virginia political science students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at CNU
Roanoke College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Roanoke is a small school located in Salem, Virginia that handed out 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Roanoke also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $26,997 for virginia political science students with aid per year to attend Roanoke.
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%.
Full Roanoke College Political Science & Government Report
Randolph - Macon College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 estimated yearly cost for Randolph - Macon is $25,551 for Virginia Political Science students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Randolph - Macon College
With a ranking of #16, Virginia State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Petersburg, Virginia, this small public school handed out 20 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Virginia State also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State University is $17,237 for virginia political science students with aid.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Virginia State
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 177 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $29,382 for Virginia Political Science students with aid per year to attend Liberty University.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Liberty University
Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Hampden - Sydney is a small school located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia that handed out 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Hampden - Sydney did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Hampden - Sydney College is $30,746 for virginia political science students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, 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.
Full Hampden - Sydney 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
