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2023 Best Value Colleges for International Relations (With Aid)

217 Ranked Colleges
13,117 Degrees Awarded
$14,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

International Relations is the 63rd most popular major in the country with 13,117 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

For this year’s “Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 217 colleges that offer a degree in international relations. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great international relations programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the international relations program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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The international relations 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 “Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid”.

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. 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.

Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for international relations students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for International Relations (With Aid)

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 66 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #2 spot in our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $12,894 for international relations students with aid.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.

Full Stanford International Relations Report

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Out of the 217 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 88 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale also made our “Best International Relations Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Yale University is $15,296 for international relations students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about International Relations at Yale

3
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The City College of New York
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The City College of New York. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 62 degrees to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $2,805 for international relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The City College of New York International Relations Report

4
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 217 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 208 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our international relations students with aid list, University of Virginia has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $22,006 for International Relations students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Virginia International Relations Report

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 217 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #5 spot on the list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 135 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $13,872 for international relations students with aid.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Harvard International Relations Report

6

Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 317 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend FIU is $5,298 for international relations students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida International University International Relations Report

7
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 341 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Florida State also did well on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It costs about $9,946 for international relations students with aid per year to attend Florida State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.

Full Florida State University International Relations Report

8
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 113 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, IU Bloomington is in the top on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,619 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations at Indiana University - Bloomington

9

University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. University of South Florida - Main Campus is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for USF Tampa is $8,346 for International Relations students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about International Relations at University of South Florida - Main Campus

10

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $12,017 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.

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 UW Seattle International Relations Report

11

John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 22 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for John Jay is $2,699 for international relations students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

12
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Georgia is located in Athens, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 286 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UGA also did well on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Georgia is $14,257 for International Relations students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 University of Georgia International Relations Report

13

University of California - Davis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 151 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis excels when it comes to international relations quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for international relations students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations at UC Davis

14
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, New York

With a ranking of #14, Baruch College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Baruch College is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 30 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,264 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend Baruch College.

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

15
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 157 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for International Relations students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Read more about International Relations at Virginia Tech

16

With a ranking of #16, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 108 diplomas to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCSD is also in the top of our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $15,240 for international relations students with aid.

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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD International Relations Report

17

The University of West Florida ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Pensacola, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $7,089 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend UWF.

Full UWF International Relations Report

18
VMI crest
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, Virginia

Virginia Military Institute did quite well in the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 56 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Military Institute is $22,025 for International Relations students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on International Relations at Virginia Military Institute

19
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

William & Mary came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 72 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

William & Mary excels when it comes to international relations quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $19,593 for international relations students with aid.

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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on International Relations at William & Mary

20

University of California - Riverside landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 85 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $11,822 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend University of California - Riverside.

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

Read more about International Relations at University of California - Riverside

21
Claremont McKenna crest
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Claremont McKenna, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna College is $21,993 for International Relations students with aid.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Claremont McKenna International Relations Report

22
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

With a ranking of #22, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Johns Hopkins University is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 686 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also took the #1 spot in our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $23,428 for International Relations students with aid.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on International Relations at Johns Hopkins University

23
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best International Relations Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $16,076 for international relations students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.2%, 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.

Read more about International Relations at Rice University

24
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Duke University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 53 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It costs about $32,459 for International Relations students with aid per year to attend Duke.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Duke University International Relations Report

25
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, California

Pomona College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Pomona is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, Pomona is in the top on our “Best International Relations Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Pomona College is $17,949 for international relations students with aid.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about International Relations at Pomona College

Rest of the Best 33 in Best Value International Relations Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 33 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
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Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts
29
30
31
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University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
32
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George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
33

Notes and References

References

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