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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region

161 Ranked Colleges
8,069 Degrees Awarded
$5,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in the Middle Atlantic Region 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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Political Science is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,740 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 8,730 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,069 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,278 and $24,587 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 161 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.

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

The poly sci school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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 Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic 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 Middle Atlantic Region

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 158 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $3,181 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UPenn Political Science Report

#2

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 230 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $5,248 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgetown.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at Georgetown

#3

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $3,526 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Political Science at Johns Hopkins

#4

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 161 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Princeton also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $1,386 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Princeton University

#5

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 153 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Cornell also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $7,484 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornell Political Science Report

#6

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
#14 in overall quality

Swarthmore College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Swarthmore not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Swarthmore College is $5,860 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science at Swarthmore College

#7

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter College is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 129 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $320 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hunter.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Hunter

#4 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 255 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,916 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Political Science at Columbia University in the City of New York

#9

Baruch College

New York, New York

Baruch College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Baruch College is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 81 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,858 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Baruch.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 88%.

Read full report on Political Science at Baruch College

#10

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#19 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMCP is a public institution located in College Park, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 360 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMCP also took the #19 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMCP is $8,054 for middle atlantic 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 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Maryland - College Park Political Science Report

John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 112 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $771 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Read more about Political Science at John Jay

#12

Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

Haverford College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Haverford, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

Haverford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Haverford College is $6,582 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Haverford College Political Science Report

#13

Queens College

Queens, New York

With a ranking of #13, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,255 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend QC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at QC

#14

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#15 in overall quality

Hamilton College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Clinton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Hamilton has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $7,942 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hamilton College.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read more about Political Science at Hamilton College

#15

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#5 in overall quality

Colgate University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Hamilton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Colgate also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Colgate is $9,752 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Colgate Political Science Report

#16

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. The City College of New York is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 75 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $704 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at The City College of New York

#17

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $234 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lehman Political Science Report

#18

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brooklyn College is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,106 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Brooklyn College Political Science Report

#19

St Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, Maryland
Top 25% in overall quality

St Mary’s College of Maryland came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St Mary’s College of Maryland is located in St. Mary’s City, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend St Mary’s College of Maryland is $9,445 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Political Science at St Mary’s College of Maryland

#20

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#13 in overall quality

Lafayette College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Easton, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lafayette has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $6,934 for Middle Atlantic 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 87%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Lafayette College Political Science Report

#21

York College

Jamaica, New York

York College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. York is located in Jamaica, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $1,826 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend York College.

Full York Political Science Report

#22

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York
#20 in overall quality

Vassar College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Vassar College is located in Poughkeepsie, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vassar, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vassar is $8,186 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Vassar College

#23

St Lawrence University

Canton, New York
Top 20% in overall quality

St Lawrence University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St. Lawrence is a private not-for-profit institution located in Canton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Lawrence is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $11,916 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Lawrence.

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 2.4% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at St Lawrence University

#24

Centenary University

Hackettstown, New Jersey

With a ranking of #24, Centenary University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Centenary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Centenary is $15,601 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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.

Read full report on Political Science at Centenary

#25

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

Towson University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Towson is a public institution located in Towson, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Towson is $9,206 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Political Science at Towson University

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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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