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2022 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

56 Ranked Colleges
3,781 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest 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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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

Across the Southwest region, there were 3,781 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 56 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 46 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Rice has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,437 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.

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

#2

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. CNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 19 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

CNM also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central New Mexico Community College is $2,604 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Central New Mexico Community College Political Science Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Rio Grande Valley Political Science Report

Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #4 spot on the list. Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $2,261 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at Texas A&M International University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school awarded 303 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 full report on Political Science at Texas A&M University - College Station

With a ranking of #6, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 364 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

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

Full ASU - Tempe Political Science Report

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 123 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $8,521 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Political Science at UNT

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 347 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region 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 97%. 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 UT Austin

#9

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

With a ranking of #9, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 205 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also took the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science at University of Arizona

#10

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Texas Woman’s University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,706 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Woman’s University.

Read more about Political Science at Texas Woman’s University

#11

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 114 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $12,317 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at Texas Tech University

University of North Texas at Dallas came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this small public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNT Dallas is $7,732 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UNT Dallas Political Science Report

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $10,516 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science at UTSA

#14

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 222 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,203 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UH.

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 UH

#15

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

With a ranking of #15, Trinity University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

Trinity U also made our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Trinity U is $12,373 for Southwest Region 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 more about Political Science at Trinity University

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. OSU is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full OSU Political Science Report

The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 80 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Dallas is $10,857 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, 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 90%.

Full UT Dallas Political Science Report

The University of Texas at Tyler ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Tyler, Texas, and it awarded 24 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,797 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Tyler.

Read full report on Political Science at UT Tyler

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

UT Permian Basin also made our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $7,889 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Read full report on Political Science at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Durant, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,102 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Full Southeastern Oklahoma State University Political Science Report

#21

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

East Central University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. East Central University is a public institution located in Ada, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,787 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ECU.

Full East Central University Political Science Report

The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,092 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.

Full UTEP Political Science Report

#23

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

With a ranking of #23, Angelo State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Angelo, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Angelo State is $9,799 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science at Angelo State University

#24

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school awarded 140 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $11,125 for Southwest Region Poly Sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science at Texas State

#24

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

With a ranking of #24, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 159 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Skysong is $12,037 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science at Arizona State University - Skysong

#25

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SHSU is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 63 ’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,561 for southwest region poly sci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SHSU.

Read more about Political Science at Sam Houston State 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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