Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

86 Ranked Colleges
6,909 Degrees Awarded
$6,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across the Far Western US region, there were 9,248 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,909 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 86 colleges that offer a degree in political science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science programs, but they also 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in the Far Western US Region 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. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 57 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $-1,387 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read full report on Political Science at Stanford University

#2

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Claremont McKenna College is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Claremont McKenna also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Claremont McKenna is $8,566 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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.

Full Claremont McKenna College Political Science Report

#3

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Pomona is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pomona has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pomona College is $6,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Pomona

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 86 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 263 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $7,850 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 482 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at UC Berkeley

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 692 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Full UCLA Political Science Report

#15 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 307 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for far western us region 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 94%. The low 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%.

Full University of California - Irvine Political Science Report

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 95 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,379 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State LA.

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 full report on Political Science at Cal State LA

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 126 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,291 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at California State University - Fullerton

#10

Pitzer College

Claremont, California
#10 in overall quality

Pitzer College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Pitzer College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 13 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitzer not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,922 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitzer College.

The 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. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 more about Political Science at Pitzer College

#11

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#24 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 213 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $8,366 for Far Western US Region 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%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at UCR

#12 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Political Science Report

California State University - Fresno came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 67 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,264 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fresno State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Fresno State

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 224 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Davis is $9,842 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Davis

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#9 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 297 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,316 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science at UCSB

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 36 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $2,455 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Political Science Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 172 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Political Science Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,410 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Stan State Political Science Report

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 109 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for Far Western US Region 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 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.

Read more about Political Science at SDSU

California State University - Northridge came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 185 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,945 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Political Science Report

#21

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,077 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at CSUSB

#22

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

With a ranking of #22, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wazzu is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $9,334 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 full report on Political Science at Washington State University

California State University - Sacramento landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 174 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $6,819 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 29 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $3,423 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at California State University - Bakersfield

#25

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend WWU is $9,743 for far western us region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Western Washington University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Credits

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You