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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k)

744 Ranked Colleges
41,915 Degrees Awarded
$3,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 46,740 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 41,915 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 744 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 159 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Yale is $2,125 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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 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 Yale

#2

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 131 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Duke has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $-7,808 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Duke Political Science Report

#3

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 158 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UPenn.

The 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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at University of Pennsylvania

#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 744 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science at Northwestern University

#5

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 744 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #5 spot on the list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,973 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science at Harvard

#6

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#9 in overall quality

Stanford University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 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.

Full Stanford University Political Science Report

#7

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington and Lee University is located in Lexington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Washington and Lee also took the #23 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee University is $1,612 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Washington and Lee Political Science Report

#8

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Williams College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 70 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Williams also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Williams is $2,498 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Williams

#9

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 91 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $5,273 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 94%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Political Science at Washington University in St Louis

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,712 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 100%.

Read full report on Political Science at UChicago

#11

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
#7 in overall quality

Georgetown University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 230 students in 2019-2020.

Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $5,248 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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 Georgetown University Political Science Report

#12

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#16 in overall quality

Vanderbilt University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,156 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Science at Vanderbilt University

#13

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
Top 5% in overall quality

Brown University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown is a medium-sized school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 78 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Brown is in the top on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $201 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Brown University

#14

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#2 in overall quality

Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dartmouth, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,052 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dartmouth College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Dartmouth

#15

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
Top 5% in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Johns Hopkins is in the top on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,526 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins.

The impressive 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Johns Hopkins

#16

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#24 in overall quality

Princeton University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 70 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $1,386 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Princeton.

The low 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Political Science at Princeton

#17

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
Top 5% in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 320 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

U-M also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $3,166 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U-M.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#18

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#6 in overall quality

Cornell University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 153 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Cornell also took the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,484 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Cornell University

#19

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
Top 10% in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 362 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UF excels when it comes to poly sci quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $1,994 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Florida.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 UF Political Science Report

#20

Bates College

Lewiston, Maine
#21 in overall quality

Bates College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Lewiston, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 76 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Bates also took the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,618 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bates.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read more about Political Science at Bates College

#21

Colby College

Waterville, Maine
Top 10% in overall quality

Colby College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Waterville, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Colby also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Colby is $2,335 for Bachelor’s Degree 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 91%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read more about Political Science at Colby College

#22

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine
#14 in overall quality

Bowdoin College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Brunswick, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bowdoin, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bowdoin is $5,626 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive 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.

Read full report on Political Science at Bowdoin College

#23

Amherst College

Amherst, Massachusetts
#25 in overall quality

Amherst College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,079 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Amherst College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Amherst College

#24

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#19 in overall quality

Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Claremont McKenna not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,566 for Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Claremont McKenna.

The impressive 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 87%.

Read more about Political Science at Claremont McKenna

#25

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Top 10% in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 339 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $4,026 for bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Science at UNC Chapel Hill

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#27

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont
#29

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#30

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#31

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#32

Hunter College

New York, New York
#34

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#36

Baruch College

New York, New York
#38

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#39

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#41

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#42

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#43

Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania
#44

Queens College

Queens, New York
#45

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#46

Trinity College

Hartford, Connecticut
#46

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#48

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#49

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#50

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 The City College of New York New York, NY
52 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
53 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
54 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
55 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
56 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
56 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
58 Florida International University Miami, FL
59 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
60 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
61 Lehman College Bronx, NY
62 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
62 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
64 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
65 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
Rank College Location
66 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
67 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
68 Northeastern University Boston, MA
69 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
70 St Mary’s College of Maryland St. Mary’s City, MD
71 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
72 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
73 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
74 Lafayette College Easton, PA
75 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
76 University of Georgia Athens, GA
77 York College Jamaica, NY
78 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
79 Pitzer College Claremont, CA
80 Smith College Northampton, MA
81 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
82 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
83 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
84 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
85 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
86 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
87 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
88 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
89 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
90 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
Rank College Location
91 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
92 Texas A&M International University Laredo, TX
93 St Lawrence University Canton, NY
94 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
95 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
96 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
97 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
98 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
99 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
100 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
101 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
102 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
103 Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ
104 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
105 Iowa State University Ames, IA
106 Towson University Towson, MD
107 University of North Texas Denton, TX
108 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
109 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
110 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
111 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
112 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY

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.

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