by our College Data Analytics Team
[Political Economy](/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-economy/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 1 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value political economy schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in political economy, balancing cost against outcomes.
Duke University earned the #1 spot for value among political economy schools in North Carolina. Set in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,758. Students borrow a median of $14,016 to complete the political economy program here. Early-career political economy graduates make about $54,970. That is a strong return on a $14,016 median debt. The acceptance rate is 6%.
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.