2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science
18
Ranked Colleges
1,786
Degrees Awarded
$33,500
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs as well as strong veteran support.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the political science and government program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia vets studying political science.
Top 18 Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 170 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 8,939 students enrolled at William & Mary, 531 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 349 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,978. To help with additional expenses, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at William & Mary]](/colleges/college-of-william-and-mary/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 217 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 38,541 students enrolled at GMU, 2,334 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. In addition to receiving other benefits, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. GMU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at George Mason University]](/colleges/george-mason-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #3 spot on the list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 130 students in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, James Madison University supports 21,594 students, and 842 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 464 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,824. To help with additional expenses, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. James Madison University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 full report on veteran student life at James Madison University]](/colleges/james-madison-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science 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 “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 119 of the 37,024 students enrolled at Virginia Tech were GI Bill® students, of which 108 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,314. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Virginia Tech Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 201 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 29,070 students enrolled at VCU were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,085. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 VCU Veteran Student Life Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking, coming in at #6. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 114 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia - Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read More…
Christopher Newport University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. CNU is a public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CNU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, CNU supports 4,868 students, and 344 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 196 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,614. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Old Dominion University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 44 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying political science list, Old Dominion has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 24,286 students enrolled at Old Dominion University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Old Dominion University Veteran Student Life Report
Washington and Lee University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. This small school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 59 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 39 of the 2,183 students enrolled at Washington and Lee were GI Bill® students, of which 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,415. On top of their other funding sources, 24 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Washington and Lee University]](/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/student-life/veterans/)
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking, coming in at #10. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 177 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Liberty University supports 93,349 students, and 13,282 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #11, Regent University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
Regent not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 10,483 students enrolled at Regent University, 1,414 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,139 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. To help with additional expenses, 42 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
University of Mary Washington landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this small public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
UMW also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Mary Washington supports 4,293 students, and 47 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 39 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,578. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Mary Washington]](/colleges/university-of-mary-washington/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #13, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. Radford University is a medium-sized public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 23 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford, 460 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Radford offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Radford Veteran Student Life Report
Roanoke College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. Roanoke is located in Salem, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Roanoke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Roanoke College supports 1,920 students, and 68 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 50 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,471. To help with additional expenses, 26 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roanoke College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Hampden - Sydney College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science ranking. Hampden - Sydney is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hampden - Sydney, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 881 students enrolled at Hampden - Sydney College, 41 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,329. In addition to receiving other benefits, 16 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Hampden - Sydney]](/colleges/hampden-sydney-college/student-life/veterans/)
Virginia State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. Virginia State is a small school located in Petersburg, Virginia that handed out 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 4,020 students enrolled at Virginia State University, 368 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 112 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,578. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
With a ranking of #17, Randolph - Macon College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. Randolph - Macon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ashland, Virginia. It awarded 14 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 70 of the 1,554 students enrolled at Randolph - Macon College were GI Bill® students, of which 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,291. During this same period, 34 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Randolph - Macon]](/colleges/randolph-macon-college/student-life/veterans/)
University of Richmond ranked #18 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science list. University of Richmond is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University of Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 41 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
URichmond not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 51 of the 4,056 students enrolled at URichmond were GI Bill® students, of which 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,556. To help with additional expenses, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. URichmond does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at URichmond]](/colleges/university-of-richmond/student-life/veterans/)
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
college factual
