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2022 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools

761 Colleges in the United States
43,385 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,465 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #13 in popularity, political science and government is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 761 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for political science and government students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 43,385 bachelor's degrees in political science and 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 and 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:

  • Major Focus - How much a school focuses on political science and government students vs. other majors.
  • Major Demand - How many other political science and government students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
  • Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
  • Student Debt - How easy is it for political science and government to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
  • Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized political science and government related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for political science and 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.

Featured Political Science & Government Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

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BA in Political Science

Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University. Learn More >


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 and government. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% 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

Yale University

New Haven, CT
159 Annual Graduates
$49,100 Median Starting Salary
$15,500 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Yale University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science and government. 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 earn a boost of around $15,635 over the typical income of political science and government majors.

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

#2

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH
129 Annual Graduates
$59,900 Median Starting Salary
$14,000 Median Student Debt

Dartmouth College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in political science and government. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the town of Hanover.

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College earn $26,435 more than the average political science graduate.

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

#3

Duke University

Durham, NC
131 Annual Graduates
$47,400 Median Starting Salary
$9,000 Median Student Debt

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

Bachelor's recipients from the political science and government degree program at Duke University earn $13,935 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

#4

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA
158 Annual Graduates
$51,100 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in political science and government has to take a look at University of Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of about $17,635 over the typical earnings of political science and government majors.

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

#5

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA
102 Annual Graduates
$51,800 Median Starting Salary

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

Bachelor's recipients from the political science and government degree program at Harvard University earn $18,335 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

#6

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY
153 Annual Graduates
$45,100 Median Starting Salary
$13,082 Median Student Debt

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

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Cornell University make $11,635 more than the standard political science student.

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

#7

Georgetown University

Washington, DC
280 Annual Graduates
$49,100 Median Starting Salary
$15,205 Median Student Debt

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

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University earn a boost of approximately $15,635 above the average earnings of political science and government graduates.

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

#8

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC
146 Annual Graduates
$42,900 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Wake Forest University receive an earnings boost of around $9,435 over the average earnings of political science and government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Wake Forest University

#9

Stanford University

Stanford, CA
57 Annual Graduates
$8,333 Median Student Debt

Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Stanford University

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
106 Annual Graduates
$36,700 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

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

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago receive an earnings boost of about $3,235 above the average earnings of political science and government majors.

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

#11

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN
181 Annual Graduates
$47,000 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

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

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame receive $13,535 more than the typical political science graduate.

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

#12

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY
255 Annual Graduates
$51,100 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

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

Bachelor's recipients from the political science and government program at Columbia University in the City of New York earn $17,635 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

#13

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
121 Annual Graduates
$47,000 Median Starting Salary
$14,900 Median Student Debt

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

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University earn $13,535 more than the standard political science graduate.

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

#14

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME
84 Annual Graduates
$50,400 Median Starting Salary
$16,188 Median Student Debt

Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Brunswick.

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College earn $16,935 more than the average political science graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Bowdoin College

#15

Williams College

Williamstown, MA
70 Annual Graduates
$44,300 Median Starting Salary
$13,344 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Williams College receive an earnings boost of around $10,835 above the average earnings of political science and government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Williams College

#16

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
97 Annual Graduates
$40,100 Median Starting Salary
$15,900 Median Student Debt

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

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University receive an earnings boost of around $6,635 over the typical income of political science and government majors.

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

#17

Pomona College

Claremont, CA
19 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Claremont, Pomona is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Pomona College

#18

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO
91 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Washington University in St Louis

#19

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA
36 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Claremont McKenna College

#20

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY
79 Annual Graduates
$53,200 Median Starting Salary
$16,673 Median Student Debt

Colgate is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Hamilton.

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Colgate University make $19,735 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Colgate University

#21

Bates College

Lewiston, ME
76 Annual Graduates
$36,900 Median Starting Salary
$12,700 Median Student Debt

Bates is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Lewiston.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science and government program at Bates College get $3,435 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Bates College

#22

Barnard College

New York, NY
68 Annual Graduates
$42,600 Median Starting Salary
$21,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science and government program at Barnard College earn $9,135 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Barnard College

#23

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA
53 Annual Graduates
$39,500 Median Starting Salary
$14,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Lexington, Washington and Lee is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Washington and Lee University receive an earnings boost of about $6,035 over the typical income of political science and government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Washington and Lee University

#24

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
70 Annual Graduates
$47,900 Median Starting Salary

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Princeton.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Princeton University receive an earnings boost of approximately $14,435 above the average earnings of political science and government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Princeton University

#25

Amherst College

Amherst, MA
40 Annual Graduates
$49,500 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Amherst is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Amherst.

Those political science and government students who get their bachelor's degree from Amherst College earn $16,035 more than the average political science graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science and government from Amherst College

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

#25

Amherst College

Amherst, MA
#26

Haverford College

Haverford, PA
#27

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT
#28

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI
#29

Brown University

Providence, RI
#30

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
#31

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA

#32

Trinity College

Hartford, CT

#33

New York University

New York, NY
#34

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, CA
#35

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA
#36

Lafayette College

Easton, PA
#37

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA
#38

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA
#39

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA
#40

Tufts University

Medford, MA

#41

Hamilton College

Clinton, NY

#42

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA
#43

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA
#44

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#45

Colby College

Waterville, ME
#46

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA
#47

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA
#48

Emory University

Atlanta, GA
#49

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the remainder 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 15% of the 761 different United States political science and government schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 George Washington University Washington, DC
51 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
52 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
53 Northeastern University Boston, MA
54 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
55 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
56 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
57 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
58 Rice University Houston, TX
59 Elon University Elon, NC
60 Connecticut College New London, CT
61 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
62 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
63 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
64 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
65 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
66 Kenyon College Gambier, OH
67 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
68 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
69 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
70 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
71 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
72 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
73 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
74 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
75 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
76 American University Washington, DC
77 Pitzer College Claremont, CA
78 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
79 Denison University Granville, OH
80 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
81 Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD
82 Boston University Boston, MA
83 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
84 University of Delaware Newark, DE
85 Stonehill College Easton, MA
86 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
87 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
88 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
89 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
90 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
91 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
92 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA
93 Smith College Northampton, MA
94 Wheaton College Massachusetts Norton, MA
95 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
96 Providence College Providence, RI
97 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
98 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
99 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
100 Rhodes College Memphis, TN
101 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
102 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
103 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
104 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
105 University of Georgia Athens, GA
106 Furman University Greenville, SC
107 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
108 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN
109 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
110 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
111 St Lawrence University Canton, NY
112 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
113 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
114 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA

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 Occidental College Los Angeles, CA
116 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
117 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
118 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
119 Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN
120 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
121 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
122 Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA
123 Clemson University Clemson, SC
124 Iowa State University Ames, IA
125 Saint Anselm College Manchester, NH
126 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
127 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
128 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
129 Mercer University Macon, GA
130 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
131 Bryant University Smithfield, RI
132 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
133 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
134 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
135 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
136 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL
137 Union College New York Schenectady, NY
138 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
139 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
140 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
141 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
142 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
143 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
144 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
145 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
146 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
147 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
148 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
149 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
150 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
151 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
152 Seattle University Seattle, WA

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
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Political Science & Government is one of 12 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 41,915
Other Political Science & Government 1,016
Political Economy 293
American Government & Politics (United States) 161

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 40,046
Sociology 29,491
International Relations & National Security 9,567
Anthropology 9,280
Criminology 8,860
General Social Sciences 6,589
Geography & Cartography 4,655
Other Social Sciences 1,772
Urban Studies 1,041
Sociology & Anthropology 498

Notes and References

  • The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia. More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Southern New Hampshire University

You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >

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