2023 Best Value Colleges for International Relations & National Security (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 14,306 people earned their degree in international relations and national security, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, international relations and national security graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $41,288 and had an average of $21,455 in loans still to pay off.

Across District of Columbia, there were 2,268 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,009 and $20,688 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in international relations and national security. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent international relations and national security programs, but they also 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 and national security 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.

More Ways to Rank International Relations & National Security Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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.

Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for district of columbia international relations students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for International Relations & National Security (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

1

Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$3,077 Average Net Price

$69,885 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #1 spot on the list. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 572 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $3,077 for District of Columbia International Relations students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Georgetown

2

George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$17,673 Average Net Price

$65,148 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k. GWU is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 948 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

GWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Schools in District of Columbia” list. The estimated yearly cost for GWU is $17,673 for District of Columbia International Relations students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at George Washington University

3

American University
Washington, District of Columbia

#3 in overall quality

$21,108 Average Net Price

$50,575 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value International Relations Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 700 students in 2020-2021.

The American University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Schools in District of Columbia” list. It costs about $21,108 for District of Columbia International Relations students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend American University.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at American University

• Best Value Colleges for International Relations & National Security (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Colleges for International Relations & National Security (Income $0-$30k)

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).
• 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

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• 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

• Credit for the banner image above goes to RepubFan12.