Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in Iowa

12 Ranked Colleges
442 Degrees Awarded
$21,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across Iowa, there were 447 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 442 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in Iowa

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State University Political Science Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Iowa Political Science Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 27 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also took the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $15,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Political Science Report

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Central College is a small school located in Pella, Iowa that handed out 8 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Central also took the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central College is $23,269 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Central

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loras College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Loras not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loras College is $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Loras Political Science Report

#6

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa
#9 in overall quality

Simpson College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Simpson College is located in Indianola, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Simpson College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $19,151 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Simpson College

#7

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Drake University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Drake is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $29,432 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students per year to attend Drake.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 full report on Political Science at Drake

#8

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Wartburg College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Located in Waverly, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students list, Wartburg has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $21,787 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Wartburg

#9

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Luther College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Luther is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 17 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $23,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Luther

#10

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Cornell College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell College also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $26,901 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students per year to attend Cornell College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Cornell College

#11

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Coe College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Coe also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Coe is $19,955 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at Coe College

#12

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa
#1 in overall quality

Grinnell College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Grinnell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grinnell, Iowa. It awarded 49 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Grinnell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $22,486 for iowa bachelor’s degree poly sci students per year to attend Grinnell.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full Grinnell Political Science Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Credits

Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools

Find Schools Near You