2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science in the Great Lakes Region
85
Ranked Colleges
5,677
Degrees Awarded
$15,600
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 in the Great Lakes Region” 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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,677 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 85 colleges that offered 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.
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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region poly sci students.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Political Science in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 85 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a medium-sized school located in River Falls, Wisconsin that handed out 12 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,844 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Out of the 85 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 59 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,654 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend UW - La Crosse.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Out of the 85 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Akron Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 51 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Akron Main Campus is $17,945 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Read more about Political Science at University of Akron Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 75 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,956 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend NIU.
Read full report on Political Science at NIU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend WMU is $20,371 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Full WMU Political Science Report
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large public school situated in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It awarded 39 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,051 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Read more about Political Science at UW - Eau Claire
With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 57 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,417 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $15,305 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students per year to attend Western Illinois University.
Read more about Political Science at WIU
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,285 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Read more about Political Science at SIUC
Central Michigan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan University is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Central Michigan is $16,007 for great lakes region poly sci students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
Full Central Michigan Political Science Report
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 135 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Purdue did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $13,377 for great lakes region poly sci students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at Purdue
With a ranking of #12, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $14,687 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,346 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.
Full UW - Stevens Point Political Science Report
Illinois State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,830 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science at Illinois State University
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,092 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.
Read more about Political Science at UW - Green Bay
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Ohio University - Athens Campus is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 101 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $23,831 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Political Science Report
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. UWM is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 69 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,486 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Youngstown State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is a public institution located in Youngstown, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Youngstown State University is $12,225 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Read more about Political Science at Youngstown State University
With a ranking of #19, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Grand Valley State University is located in Allendale, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend GVSU is $17,356 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
The low undergrad 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 Grand Valley State University
Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Purdue University Northwest is located in Hammond, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $11,384 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Full Purdue University Northwest Political Science Report
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 38 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $12,034 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend UIS.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science at UIS
With a ranking of #22, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $13,098 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Read full report on Political Science at Eastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #23, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $14,462 for great lakes region poly sci students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Read full report on Political Science at SIUE
Eastern Michigan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 51 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Michigan is $15,127 for Great Lakes Region Poly Sci students.
Read more about Political Science at Eastern Michigan
Kent State University at Kent came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 63 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Kent State is $19,117 for great lakes region poly sci students.
Full Kent State Political Science Report
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