College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in California

11 Ranked Colleges
78 Degrees Awarded
$38,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 47,549 people earned their degree in political science, making the major the 13th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 8,360 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 78 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in political science. To top this list, a school must have a successful political science program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Poly Sci Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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.

Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate”.

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Stanford Political Science Report

2
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Claremont Graduate University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate list. Claremont Graduate University is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Political Science at Claremont Graduate University

3

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Berkeley Political Science Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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 96%.

Read more about Political Science at UCLA

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #5 spot on the list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s poly sci degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Political Science at University of California - Irvine

6

University of California - San Diego came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 5 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Political Science at UCSD

7

University of California - Davis landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California 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 1.5%, 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.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Davis

7

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Santa Barbara

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s poly sci degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Political Science at UC Santa Cruz

9

University of California - Riverside ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.

Full UCR Political Science Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Poly Sci Major in California for a Doctorate list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified doctorate’s poly sci students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Political Science at University of California - Merced

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options