by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 47,549 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,677 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 114 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,305 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered a degree 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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree poly sci students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hillsdale College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Hillsdale, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #3 spot on the list. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read more about Political Science at University of Notre Dame
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 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%.
Read full report on Political Science at Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Wayne State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 5 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 3 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s poly sci degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Political Science Report
With a ranking of #10, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 8 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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%.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s poly sci degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
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.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Political Science Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 7 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Political Science Report
Kent State University at Kent ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Political Science at Kent State University at Kent
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Political Science at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UC is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 83 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Michigan University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 44 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Oxford, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 195 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science at Miami University - Oxford
Case Western Reserve University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Case Western is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
