2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k)
586
Ranked Colleges
47,549
Degrees Awarded
$3,000
Avg Net Price*
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 Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 47,549 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.
For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 586 colleges that offer a degree in political science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 586 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 132 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, 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 97%. 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.
Read more about Political Science at Duke University
Out of the 586 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 86 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Political Science at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 141 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Yale is $961 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at Yale University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brown University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 95 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Brown also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $1,468 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at Brown University
Out of the 586 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 139 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,500 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Chicago Political Science Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Pennsylvania
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 106 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $2,084 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. 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 Political Science at Johns Hopkins University
Harvard University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 157 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,564 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Political Science at Harvard University
Northwestern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 140 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
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 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 more about Political Science at Northwestern
With a ranking of #10, Princeton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 108 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $2,958 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 full report on Political Science at Princeton University
Rice University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $4,443 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Rice University Political Science Report
With a ranking of #12, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 98 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $3,176 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 96%.
Full Vanderbilt University Political Science Report
Georgetown University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 237 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $3,077 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgetown University.
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 freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Political Science at Georgetown University
Williams College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Williams College is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 38 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Williams also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $1,451 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Political Science at Williams College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 285 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for poly sci 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 96%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Political Science Report
With a ranking of #16, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 59 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Washington and Lee is in the top on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $205 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington and Lee University.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, 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 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Washington and Lee Political Science Report
Washington University in St Louis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 94 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $1,556 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at WUSTL
University of Florida ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 407 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF excels when it comes to poly sci quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UF is $65 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 97%.
Read full report on Political Science at UF
Bowdoin College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bowdoin College is located in Brunswick, Maine and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Bowdoin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bowdoin is $5,626 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 Political Science at Bowdoin
Cornell University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 166 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. 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.
Full Cornell Political Science Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 424 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at UW - Madison
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 360 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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 95%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Political Science Report
With a ranking of #23, Bates College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bates is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewiston, Maine. It awarded 65 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Bates also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $4,140 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bates.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at Bates
With a ranking of #24, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 296 students in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $9,873 for Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Political Science Report
Wake Forest University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 125 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Wake Forest University also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $10,401 for poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at Wake Forest University
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