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2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Economy (Income $0-$30k)

11 Ranked Colleges
358 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 358 people earned their degree in political economy, making the major the 665th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political economy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political economy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political economy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for political economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Political Economy (Income $0-$30k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 4 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $371 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.

Read more about Political Economy at Duke University

2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s political economy degrees to qualified students.

Georgetown also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown University is $3,077 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Political Economy at Georgetown University

3

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #3 spot on the list. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s political economy degrees to qualified students.

ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $8,969 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Political Economy at Arizona State University - Tempe

4
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s political economy students in 2020-2021.

USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full University of Southern California Political Economy Report

5
SUNY Old Westbury crest
SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Old Westbury. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. SUNY Old Westbury is a small public school situated in Old Westbury, New York. It awarded 58 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

SUNY Old Westbury also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SUNY Old Westbury is $6,839 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read more about Political Economy at SUNY Old Westbury

6
Rhodes College crest
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee

Rhodes College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rhodes College is a small school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 7 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

Rhodes College also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Rhodes College is $15,081 for political economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Economy at Rhodes College

7
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

Tulane University of Louisiana ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tulane University of Louisiana is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It awarded 36 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tulane, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tulane University of Louisiana is $12,456 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Political Economy at Tulane

8

University of Washington - Bothell Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a medium-sized school located in Bothell, Washington that handed out 80 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Bothell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Economy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UW Bothell is $6,864 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Economy at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

9
EOU crest
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, Oregon

With a ranking of #9, Eastern Oregon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in La Grande, Oregon, and it awarded 6 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EOU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Political Economy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Oregon University is $11,158 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full EOU Political Economy Report

10
Puget Sound crest
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington

University of Puget Sound did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of Puget Sound is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 22 ’s political economy degrees in 2020-2021.

Puget Sound also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Puget Sound is $24,734 for political economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Economy at Puget Sound

11
Rollins crest
Rollins College
Winter Park, Florida

Rollins College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Economy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Rollins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winter Park, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Rollins also made our “Best Political Economy Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Rollins is $26,375 for Political Economy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Rollins Political Economy Report

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