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2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

22 Ranked Colleges
1,457 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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

Across Virginia, there were 1,551 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,457 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 22 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

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

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

#1

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington and Lee University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 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 #1 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $1,612 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. 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%.

Read more about Political Science at Washington and Lee

#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 182 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, William & Mary has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $4,711 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend William & Mary.

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

Full William & Mary Political Science Report

#3

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Richmond. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at URichmond, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $9,112 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Richmond.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 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 URichmond Political Science Report

#4

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 112 students in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $8,882 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 University of Virginia - Main Campus Political Science Report

#5

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $11,138 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Political Science at Virginia Tech

#6

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

James Madison University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 96 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $14,196 for virginia 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 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at James Madison University

#7

Emory and Henry College

Emory, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

Emory and Henry College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Emory & Henry College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Emory, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Emory & Henry College also took the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $13,366 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Emory and Henry College.

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 more about Political Science at Emory & Henry College

#8

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Radford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

Radford also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $12,071 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at Radford

#9

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Newport News, Virginia, this small public school awarded 77 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

CNU also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $16,529 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CNU.

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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Christopher Newport University

#10

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 186 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $16,768 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Political Science Report

#11

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

University of Mary Washington ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 47 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UMW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mary Washington is $12,988 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMW Political Science Report

#12

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
#17 in overall quality

Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 60 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Old Dominion also took the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $12,017 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at Old Dominion

#13

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#15 in overall quality

Longwood University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Longwood is located in Farmville, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Longwood, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Longwood is $14,704 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science at Longwood University

#14

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#16 in overall quality

Bridgewater College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bridgewater is a small school located in Bridgewater, Virginia that handed out 10 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater is $14,220 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Bridgewater College Political Science Report

#15

Randolph - Macon College

Ashland, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Randolph - Macon College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ashland, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Randolph - Macon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon is $23,012 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science at Randolph - Macon

#16

Roanoke College

Salem, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Roanoke College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Roanoke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roanoke College is $17,473 for virginia 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%.

Read more about Political Science at Roanoke

#17

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Marymount University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Marymount also took the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Marymount is $22,212 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Marymount

#18

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Virginia State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Petersburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

Virginia State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia State is $15,586 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at Virginia State University

#19

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Virginia
#21 in overall quality

University of Lynchburg came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lynchburg is a small school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 3 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lynchburg has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lynchburg is $19,128 for virginia 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 Lynchburg

#20

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#20 in overall quality

Virginia Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. VWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

VWU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $20,816 for virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend VWU.

Read full report on Political Science at Virginia Wesleyan University

#21

Hampden - Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Hampden - Sydney College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Hampden - Sydney has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hampden - Sydney is $23,836 for Virginia 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 4.4% 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%.

Full Hampden - Sydney College Political Science Report

#22

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $27,896 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Liberty University Political Science Report

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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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