by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Political Science is the 13th most popular major in the country with 47,549 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major” ranking looked at 1,275 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major” 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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for poly sci students.
Out of the 1,275 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Patrick Henry College landed the #1 spot on the list. Patrick Henry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Purcellville, Virginia. It awarded 16 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend United States Coast Guard Academy. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major. This small school is located in New London, Connecticut, and it awarded 48 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 1,275 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bowdoin College landed the #3 spot on the list. Bowdoin College is a small school located in Brunswick, Maine that handed out 100 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Out of the 1,275 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bennett College landed the #4 spot on the list. Bennett College is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Davidson College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. This small school is located in Davidson, North Carolina, and it awarded 79 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #6, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 110 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 10 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 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, United States Naval Academy did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Annapolis is a public institution located in Annapolis, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 137 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Hillsdale College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Hillsdale College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hillsdale, Michigan. It awarded 48 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Union College New York did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #9. Union College is a small school located in Schenectady, New York that handed out 63 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 88%.
Bates College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. This small school is located in Lewiston, Maine, and it awarded 65 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Trinity College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Trinity College is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 74 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Colby College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #12. Colby College is a small school located in Waterville, Maine that handed out 76 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #13, Wabash College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Crawfordsville, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
With a ranking of #14, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Gettysburg is a small school located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 71 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, 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 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Sewanee - The University of the South landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Sewanee is a small school located in Sewanee, Tennessee that handed out 45 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 87%.
Spelman College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 46 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Sweet Briar College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Sweet Briar is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sweet Briar, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Furman University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. This small school is located in Greenville, South Carolina, and it awarded 82 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 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.
Haverford College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Haverford College is a small school located in Haverford, Pennsylvania that handed out 33 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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.
St Lawrence University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Canton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The undergrad 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 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.
Scripps College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 29 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Colgate University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. This small school is located in Hamilton, New York, and it awarded 79 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Dickinson College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Dickinson College is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Hampden - Sydney College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Hampden - Sydney College is located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #25, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Claremont, California 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.
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 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 87%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH |
| 52 | Amherst College | Amherst, MA |
| 53 | Hamilton College | Clinton, NY |
| 54 | Allegheny College | Meadville, PA |
| 55 | The College of Idaho | Caldwell, ID |
| 56 | Centre College | Danville, KY |
| 57 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 58 | St Mary’s College of Maryland | St. Mary’s City, MD |
| 59 | University of the Ozarks | Clarksville, AR |
| 60 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 61 | Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA |
| 62 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
| 63 | Tougaloo College | Tougaloo, MS |
| 64 | Pitzer College | Claremont, CA |
| 65 | Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 191 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 192 | Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies