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2025 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools

573 Colleges in the United States
41,131 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,696 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #12 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 573 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. Combined, these schools handed out 41,131 bachelor's degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of political science & government for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality political science program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for political science & government students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Political Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
272 Annual Graduates
$55,247 Median Starting Salary
$43,254 Median Student Debt

Georgetown University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgetown University earn $18,551 more than the typical political science graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Georgetown University

2
232 Annual Graduates
$61,077 Median Starting Salary
$50,424 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government needs to look into Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at Columbia University in the City of New York earn $24,381 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Columbia University in the City of New York

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
112 Annual Graduates
$65,473 Median Starting Salary
$40,285 Median Student Debt

University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Pennsylvania make $28,777 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Pennsylvania

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University is a great choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of approximately $18,274 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Duke University

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at Harvard University get $24,847 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Harvard University

6

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Chicago receive $19,326 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Chicago

7
305 Annual Graduates
$51,537 Median Starting Salary
$47,928 Median Student Debt

GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of around $14,841 above the typical income of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from George Washington University

8
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
182 Annual Graduates
$72,618 Median Starting Salary
$62,494 Median Student Debt

Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the town of Hanover.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Dartmouth College make $35,922 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Dartmouth College

9
175 Annual Graduates
$55,316 Median Starting Salary
$35,318 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at University of Notre Dame make $18,620 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Notre Dame

10

Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Northwestern University earn $18,041 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Northwestern University

11
653 Annual Graduates
$34,392 Median Starting Salary
$25,770 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,392.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Los Angeles

12
36 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Johns Hopkins University

13
418 Annual Graduates
$45,418 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of around $8,722 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Berkeley

14
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Yale University get an earnings boost of around $20,770 over the average income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Yale University

15
384 Annual Graduates
$42,063 Median Starting Salary
$31,475 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at University of Wisconsin - Madison make $5,367 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Wisconsin - Madison

16
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
216 Annual Graduates
$48,034 Median Starting Salary
$48,000 Median Student Debt

The American University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from American University get an earnings boost of around $11,338 above the typical income of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from American University

17
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
183 Annual Graduates
$50,783 Median Starting Salary
$100,315 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at New York University get $14,087 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from New York University

18
116 Annual Graduates
$60,292 Median Starting Salary
$37,648 Median Student Debt

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Cornell University receive an earnings boost of approximately $23,596 over the typical earnings of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Cornell University

19
247 Annual Graduates
$39,702 Median Starting Salary
$55,834 Median Student Debt

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor receive $3,006 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

20
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
158 Annual Graduates
$46,764 Median Starting Salary
$60,263 Median Student Debt

Boston College is a large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Boston College make $10,068 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Boston College

21
321 Annual Graduates
$42,688 Median Starting Salary
$30,162 Median Student Debt

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at University of Maryland - College Park make $5,992 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Maryland - College Park

22
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
130 Annual Graduates
$46,843 Median Starting Salary
$84,678 Median Student Debt

Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University earn $10,147 more than the typical political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Vanderbilt University

23

Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Northeastern University make $15,820 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Northeastern University

24
369 Annual Graduates
$41,200 Median Starting Salary
$29,946 Median Student Debt

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $4,504 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

25
336 Annual Graduates
$36,208 Median Starting Salary
$14,844 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, political science bachelor's recipients typically make around $36,208 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of California - Davis

Rest of the Top 50 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools

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27
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
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32
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

33
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA

34
35
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University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
36
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41
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

42
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

43
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
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50
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 573 different United States political science & government schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
52 University of Georgia Athens, GA
53 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
54 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME
55 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
56 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
57 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
58 Williams College Williamstown, MA
59 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
60 Tufts University Medford, MA
61 Barnard College New York, NY
62 Emory University Atlanta, GA
63 Rice University Houston, TX
64 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
65 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
66 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
67 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
68 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
69 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
70 Fordham University Bronx, NY
71 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
72 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
73 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
74 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
75 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
76 Lafayette College Easton, PA
77 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
78 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
79 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
80 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
81 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
82 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
83 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
84 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
85 Colby College Waterville, ME
86 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
87 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
88 Amherst College Amherst, MA
89 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
90 Trinity College Hartford, CT
91 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA
92 Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA
93 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
94 Bates College Lewiston, ME
95 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
96 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
97 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA
98 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
99 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
100 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
101 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
102 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
103 University at Albany Albany, NY
104 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
105 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
106 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
107 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
108 Baylor University Waco, TX
109 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
110 Providence College Providence, RI
111 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
112 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
113 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
114 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
115 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
116 Connecticut College New London, CT
117 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
118 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
119 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
120 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
121 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
122 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
123 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
124 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
125 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
126 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
127 Smith College Northampton, MA
128 Florida International University Miami, FL
129 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
130 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
131 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
132 Iowa State University Ames, IA
133 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
134 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
135 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
136 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
137 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
138 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
139 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
140 Rhodes College Memphis, TN
141 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
142 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
143 Clemson University Clemson, SC
144 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
145 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
146 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
147 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
148 DePaul University Chicago, IL
149 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
150 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
151 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
152 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
153 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA
154 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
155 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
156 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
157 Elon University Elon, NC
158 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
159 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
160 Washington State University Pullman, WA
161 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
162 University of North Texas Denton, TX
163 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
164 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
165 Illinois State University Normal, IL
166 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
167 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
168 Howard University Washington, DC
169 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
170 Haverford College Haverford, PA
171 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
172 University of Houston Houston, TX
173 Chapman University Orange, CA
174 University of Denver Denver, CO
175 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
176 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
177 Centre College Danville, KY
178 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
179 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
180 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
181 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
182 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
183 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
184 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
185 Suffolk University Boston, MA
186 St Lawrence University Canton, NY
187 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
188 Furman University Greenville, SC
189 Bryant University Smithfield, RI
190 Saint Anselm College Manchester, NH
191 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY

Political Science & Government by Region

View the Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.

Political Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 39,836
Other Political Science & Government 870
Political Economy 276
American Government & Politics (United States) 149

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 35,886
Sociology 25,951
Anthropology 8,349
International Relations & National Security 8,079
General Social Sciences 5,605
Geography & Cartography 3,429
Other Social Sciences 1,402
Urban Studies 866
Sociology & Anthropology 550
Archeology 235

Notes and References

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