2023 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science & Government
1,309
Ranked Colleges
49,282
Degrees Awarded
$36,300
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Political Science Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Political Science Major” ranking, we looked at 1,309 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular political science and government programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Political Science Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Well Attended Political Science Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for political science students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Political Science & Government
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 713 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UCLA Political Science & Government Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Political Science Major. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 537 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. 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 University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Political Science Major. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 513 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Florida State Political Science & Government Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Political Science Major. GWU is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 506 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science & Government at George Washington University
Out of the 1,309 schools in the Most Well Attended Political Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 469 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UCSD
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 447 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 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 UW - Madison Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 423 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #8, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 442 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at ASU - Tempe
University of Central Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 381 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UCF
University of California - Irvine ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 361 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at UC Irvine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 360 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 1.4% 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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at UNC Chapel Hill
University of Florida landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 407 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 University of Florida Political Science & Government Report
Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #13. FIU is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 345 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at FIU
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 335 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 The University of Texas at Austin
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking. College Park, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 330 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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 95%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at UMCP
University of California - Davis ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 328 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.
Full UC Davis Political Science & Government Report
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 328 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #18, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Georgetown is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Georgetown
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 305 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station Political Science & Government Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Political Science Major ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 285 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 more about Political Science & Government at U-M
With a ranking of #21, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 282 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCR Political Science & Government Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 296 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Columbia
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 277 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 259 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 UMN Twin Cities
University of Colorado Boulder ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Political Science Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 258 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Colorado Boulder
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