2026 Best Value American Government & Politics (United States) Schools in District of Columbia

[American Government & Politics (United States)](/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/american-government-and-politics-united-states/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value american government & politics (united states) schools.
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2026 Best Value American Government & Politics (United States) Schools in District of Columbia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the american government & politics (united states) degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value American Government & Politics (United States) Schools
For return on investment in american government & politics (united states), no school beat Catholic University Of America this year. Set in the city of Washington, Catholic University Of America is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $58,378 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete the american government & politics (united states) program here. Soon after graduation, american government & politics (united states) degree recipients from Catholic University Of America generally make around $44,617. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Catholic University Of America admits about 83% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at George Washington University earned it the #2 place for american government & politics (united states). Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,710. Typical student debt for american government & politics (united states) graduates is $23,000. Early-career american government & politics (united states) graduates make about $62,004. That is a strong return on a $23,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 47%.
Georgetown University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value american government & politics (united states) schools. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,089. Students borrow a median of $16,500 to complete the american government & politics (united states) program here. Soon after graduation, american government & politics (united states) degree recipients from Georgetown University generally make around $79,632. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Georgetown University admits about 13% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.