2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $30-$48k)
585
Ranked Colleges
47,549
Degrees Awarded
$3,900
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Political Science is the 13th most popular major in the country with 47,549 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 585 colleges that offered 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke University is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 132 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k list, Duke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $-927 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Political Science at Duke
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Yale University is $3,083 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 impressive undergraduate 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 full report on Political Science at Yale
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 157 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $1,396 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Harvard University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 86 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $1,581 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Political Science at Stanford
Out of the 585 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 139 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $4,777 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Chicago
Princeton University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,502 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 impressive undergraduate 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
University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 153 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k list, UPenn has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $1,938 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #8, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 296 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $4,699 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 Columbia Political Science Report
With a ranking of #9, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 140 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $917 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Northwestern Political Science Report
Williams College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Williams is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Williams is $5,480 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergraduate 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Williams College Political Science Report
Dartmouth College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 168 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $8,718 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dartmouth College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at Dartmouth College
Washington and Lee University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington and Lee is located in Lexington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Washington and Lee also claimed a top spot on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee is $850 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science at Washington and Lee University
With a ranking of #13, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 106 students in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $4,859 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 97%. With a undergrad 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 Johns Hopkins University
Brown University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 95 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,842 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brown University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at Brown University
Vanderbilt University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 98 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also took the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $4,652 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Vanderbilt Political Science Report
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $2,446 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science at Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #17, Cornell University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 166 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cornell has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,133 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell University.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 96%.
Read more about Political Science at Cornell
With a ranking of #18, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 38 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Claremont McKenna also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna College is $8,693 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Political Science at Claremont McKenna College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 285 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Political Science Schools” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $5,670 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at U-M
Rice University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Rice not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $1,340 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rice.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full Rice Political Science Report
Georgetown University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Georgetown is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 237 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgetown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown is $9,871 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Georgetown University
University of Florida landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 407 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $2,857 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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.
Full UF Political Science Report
Amherst College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Amherst is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Amherst College is $4,459 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Political Science at Amherst College
Wake Forest University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 125 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wake Forest University is also in the top of our “Best Political Science Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It costs about $5,612 for Poly Sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wake Forest University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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
With a ranking of #25, Colby College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Waterville, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 76 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Colby is in the top on our “Best Political Science Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $2,361 for poly sci students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colby College.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 Colby
college factual
