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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Political Science in Illinois

44 Ranked Colleges
1,470 Degrees Awarded
$29,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois” 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.

Across Illinois, there were 1,470 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 44 colleges that offer a degree in political science. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their political science program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois poly sci students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Political Science in Illinois

1
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Forest College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified ’s poly sci 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at Lake Forest College

2
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Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan Political Science Report

3
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Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Political Science at Principia College

4
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Monmouth College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois. Monmouth, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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.

Full Monmouth College Political Science Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 38 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at University of Illinois at Springfield

6
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Knox College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’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. 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at Knox College

7
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Augustana Political Science Report

8
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Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Blackburn College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Carlinville, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Blackburn Political Science Report

9
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Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 144 students 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%.

Read more about Political Science at Loyola University Chicago

10
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Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Political Science Report

11
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 139 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at UChicago

12
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Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Political Science at Illinois College

13
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Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

Full Eastern Illinois University Political Science Report

14

With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 257 students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Political Science at UIUC

15

With a ranking of #15, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 75 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northern Illinois University Political Science Report

16
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 102 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full DePaul University Political Science Report

17
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Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at Bradley

18
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 140 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Political Science at Northwestern University

19
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #19, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 North Central

20

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, 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.

Read full report on Political Science at Northeastern Illinois University

21
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Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. GSU is a small public school situated in University Park, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

Full GSU Political Science Report

22
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Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

Full Roosevelt University Political Science Report

23

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of Illinois at Chicago

24
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Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 66 ’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

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 Illinois State University Political Science Report

25
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Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Poly Sci Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s poly sci degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at Elmhurst University

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