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. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 47,549 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 42,513 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major” ranking, we looked at 1,083 colleges that offer a degree in political science. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The poly sci school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree poly sci students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Patrick Henry College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Located in Purcellville, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Political Science at Patrick Henry College
Out of the 1,083 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, United States Coast Guard Academy landed the #2 spot on the list. USCGA is a public institution located in New London, Connecticut. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bowdoin College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Located in Brunswick, Maine, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 100 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, 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. 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%.
Out of the 1,083 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Bennett College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
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.
Out of the 1,083 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Davidson College landed the #5 spot on the list. Davidson, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 79 students 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. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
College of the Holy Cross did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #6. College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 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.
United States Naval Academy did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Annapolis, Maryland, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Union College New York did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Union College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Schenectady, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Bates College ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. This small school is located in Lewiston, Maine, and it awarded 65 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Trinity College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Trinity College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 74 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Colby College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Colby is a small school located in Waterville, Maine that handed out 76 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Wabash College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Wabash is a small school located in Crawfordsville, Indiana that handed out 20 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%. 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.
Gettysburg College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 71 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Sewanee - The University of the South did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking, coming in at #14. Sewanee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sewanee, Tennessee. It awarded 45 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 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.
With a ranking of #15, Spelman College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Spelman College is a small school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 46 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Sweet Briar College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Sweet Briar is a small school located in Sweet Briar, Virginia that handed out 6 bachelors’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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Furman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 82 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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.
Haverford College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Haverford College is located in Haverford, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #19, St Lawrence University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. St Lawrence University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Canton, New York. It awarded 67 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Scripps College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Colgate University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. This small school is located in Hamilton, New York, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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%.
Dickinson College ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Carlisle, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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.
Hampden - Sydney College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. Hampden - Sydney is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. It awarded 20 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Claremont McKenna College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’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 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Political Science at Claremont McKenna College
Connecticut College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major list. This small school is located in New London, Connecticut, and it awarded 42 bachelors’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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Ripon College | Ripon, WI |
| 66 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 68 | Willamette University | Salem, OR |
| 69 | Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 70 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA |
| 71 | Saint Johns University | Collegeville, MN |
| 72 | Oglethorpe University | Atlanta, GA |
| 73 | Lawrence University | Appleton, WI |
| 74 | Hartwick College | Oneonta, NY |
| 75 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 76 | Albion College | Albion, MI |
| 77 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 78 | University of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC |
| 79 | Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL |
| 80 | Howard University | Washington, DC |
| 81 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 82 | Hendrix College | Conway, AR |
| 83 | Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware, OH |
| 84 | Simpson College | Indianola, IA |
| 85 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA |
| 86 | Washington College | Chestertown, MD |
| 86 | Howard Payne University | Brownwood, TX |
| 88 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 89 | Berea College | Berea, KY |
| 90 | Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | St. Mary’s University | San Antonio, TX |
| 117 | Clark University | Worcester, MA |
| 118 | Principia College | Elsah, IL |
| 119 | College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph, MN |
| 120 | Eckerd College | Saint Petersburg, FL |
| 121 | Saint Mary’s College | Notre Dame, IN |
| 122 | Providence College | Providence, RI |
| 123 | Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport, LA |
| 124 | Rhodes College | Memphis, TN |
| 125 | Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, PA |
| 126 | College of Charleston | Charleston, SC |
| 127 | Alma College | Alma, MI |
| 128 | Monmouth College | Monmouth, IL |
| 129 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 130 | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY |
| 131 | Agnes Scott College | Decatur, GA |
| 132 | Reed College | Portland, OR |
| 133 | Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA |
| 134 | Washington & Jefferson College | Washington, PA |
| 135 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 136 | Whittier College | Whittier, CA |
| 137 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 138 | Thiel College | Greenville, PA |
| 139 | Saint Anselm College | Manchester, NH |
| 140 | Drew University | Madison, NJ |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
