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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in California

72 Ranked Colleges
5,725 Degrees Awarded
$32,933 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2021-2022, 47,686 people earned their degree in political science & government, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In , political science & government graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,399 and had an average of $21,996 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,951 political science & government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,769 and $18,231 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,725 political science & government graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,904 and $19,503 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California” ranking, we looked at 72 colleges that offer a degree in political science & government. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science & government.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The political science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California”.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in California

1
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Scripps College
Claremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Scripps College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Scripps is a private not-for-profit institution located in Claremont, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Scripps

2
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Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Out of the 72 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Claremont McKenna College

3
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 72 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Occidental College landed the #3 spot on the list. Occidental College is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 22 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 Occidental College Political Science & Government Report

4
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Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomona College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Pomona is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 25 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Pomona Political Science & Government Report

5
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California

Out of the 72 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pitzer College landed the #5 spot on the list. Pitzer College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 26 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Pitzer College

6

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 671 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Los Angeles

7

University of California - Merced ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 116 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Merced

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 257 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Santa Barbara

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 366 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - San Diego Political Science & Government Report

10

University of California - Riverside landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 291 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Riverside Political Science & Government Report

11
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Whittier College
Whittier, California

With a ranking of #11, Whittier College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Whittier College is located in Whittier, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified 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%.

Full Whittier College Political Science & Government Report

12
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Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 72 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Santa Clara University

13

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 464 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC Berkeley

14

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 172 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 89%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UC Santa Cruz

15
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Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 91 students in 2021-2022.

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 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%.

Full Loyola Marymount University Political Science & Government Report

16
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Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Westmont is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Westmont College Political Science & Government Report

17

University of California - Irvine landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 235 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Irvine

18

With a ranking of #18, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 330 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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 91%.

Full University of California - Davis Political Science & Government Report

19
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Chapman University
Orange, California

With a ranking of #19, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Located in Orange, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 75 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Chapman Political Science & Government Report

20
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California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. This small school is located in Thousand Oaks, California, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about Political Science & Government at California Lutheran University

21

California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 36 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Channel Islands

22

California State University - San Marcos landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 California State University - San Marcos

23
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University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. USD is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 66 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at USD

24

Saint Mary’s College of California ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. SMC is a small school located in Moraga, California that handed out 25 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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 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 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at SMC

25
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Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Sonoma State University is located in Rohnert Park, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Full SSU Political Science & Government Report

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