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

164 Ranked Colleges
10,353 Degrees Awarded
$5,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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

Across the Southeast region, there were 10,925 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,353 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 164 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast 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 Southeast Region

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 131 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $-7,808 for southeast region 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Political Science at Duke University

#2

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 164 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington and Lee University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Washington and Lee, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $1,612 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Washington and Lee University.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science at Washington and Lee University

#3

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Nashville, Tennessee 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 97 students in 2019-2020.

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

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science at Vanderbilt

#4

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 362 students in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $1,994 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Florida.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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 University of Florida

#5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 339 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $4,026 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Political Science Report

#6

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, William & Mary did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 182 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $4,711 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Political Science at William & Mary

#7

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#2 in overall quality

Wake Forest University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. 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 146 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wake Forest University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $5,250 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wake Forest University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 95%.

Full Wake Forest University Political Science Report

#8

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Florida State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 418 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Florida State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $5,360 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, 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 Florida State University Political Science Report

#9

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Emory University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Emory is $11,468 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Emory University

#10

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of Richmond did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. URichmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, URichmond has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $9,112 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend URichmond.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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.

Read full report on Political Science at University of Richmond

#11

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Central Florida is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 331 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $6,211 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Central Florida.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at UCF

Florida International University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida International University is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 292 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend FIU is $5,002 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science at FIU

Top 25% in overall quality

University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 196 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,950 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of South Florida - Main Campus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, 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 92%.

Full USF Tampa Political Science Report

#13

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#16 in overall quality

North Carolina State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 145 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

NC State also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina State University is $7,285 for southeast 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 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full North Carolina State University Political Science Report

#15

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#18 in overall quality

University of Georgia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. University of Georgia is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 208 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UGA also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $7,541 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Georgia.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at UGA

#16

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina
#25 in overall quality

Citadel Military College of South Carolina ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, this small public school handed out 49 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The Citadel, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The Citadel is $7,296 for Southeast 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at The Citadel

#17

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $8,882 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Political Science Report

#18

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

With a ranking of #18, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and it awarded 103 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,097 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNF.

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%.

Read more about Political Science at University of North Florida

#19

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. The University of West Florida is located in Pensacola, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $4,140 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UWF Political Science Report

#20

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Virginia Tech landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 194 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,138 for southeast 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 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Virginia Tech

#21

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Appalachian State is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 120 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,169 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Appalachian State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, 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.

Read more about Political Science at Appalachian State University

#22

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. FAU is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 152 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,085 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.

Read full report on Political Science at FAU

#23

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Fort Myers, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,824 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FGCU.

Full FGCU Political Science Report

#24

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
Top 20% in overall quality

American Public University System did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. American Military University is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, American Military University also did well on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for American Military University is $10,013 for southeast region bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full American Public University System Political Science Report

#25

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

University of Mississippi came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in University, Mississippi, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ole Miss is $9,455 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Political Science at Ole Miss

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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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