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2024 Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

25 Colleges in Illinois
1,470 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$36,042 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #20 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for political science & government students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,470 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School

Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois Your choice of political science & government school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Political Science & Government School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Political Science & Government Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Political Science
Master's Degrees in Political Science
Doctor's Degrees in Political Science

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science & Government in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of political science degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Political Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Political Science Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 139 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of around $12,040 above the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$45,960 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in political science & government has to take a look at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 140 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $9,918 more than the standard political science graduate.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
257 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$35,914 Median Starting Salary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 257 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make about $35,914 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Political Science Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in political science & government needs to look into Loyola University Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 144 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make an average of $32,001 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Loyola University Chicago

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Political Science Degrees Awarded
22.0% Growth in Graduates

UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 100 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the political science program earn an average of $31,417 for their early career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL

Located in the large suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #289 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lake Forest is a great college overall.

There were about 23 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Lake Forest in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government degree program at Lake Forest College make $8,588 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Lake Forest College

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$33,733 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 66 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career wages of $33,733.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Illinois State University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$31,084 Median Starting Salary

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #550 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were about 75 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,084.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Northern Illinois University

9
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,180 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Rock Island. A Best Colleges rank of #471 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Augustana is a great college overall.

There were about 27 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the political science program earn about $34,180 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Augustana College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,845 Median Starting Salary
$22,697 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #545 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 21 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make around $27,845 for their early career.

More information about a degree in political science & government from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 1,044
Ohio 314 1,433
Indiana 294 797
Wisconsin 273 925

View All Rankings >

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 1,470

View All Political Science Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,155
Sociology 841
International Relations & National Security 389
Anthropology 288
Geography & Cartography 201
General Social Sciences 197
Sociology & Anthropology 44
Other Social Sciences 32
Urban Studies 15
Archeology 2

View All Political Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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