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2024 Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

127 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
8,839 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded
Ranked #13 in popularity, political science is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 127 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,839 degrees in political science during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Political Science School

Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region The poly sci program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Political Science Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Poly Sci
Bachelor's Degrees in Poly Sci
Master's Degrees in Poly Sci
Doctor's Degrees in Poly Sci

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 the Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Political Science in the Middle Atlantic Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the poly sci degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Poly Sci

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
153 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

University of Pennsylvania is a great option for students interested in a degree in political science. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 153 political science students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
296 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Columbia University in the City of New York is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in political science. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 296 political science students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Columbia University in the City of New York

3
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In DC
237 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat Georgetown University if you want to pursue a degree in political science. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were roughly 237 political science students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Georgetown University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MD
106 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in political science. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were approximately 106 political science students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
166 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were about 166 political science students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Cornell University

6
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NJ
108 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 108 political science students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Princeton University

7
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NY
244 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 244 political science students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from New York University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DC
343 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 343 political science students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from George Washington University

9
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In PA

Swarthmore is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Swarthmore. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Swarthmore is a great college overall.

There were approximately 23 political science students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Swarthmore College

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MD
330 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were roughly 330 political science students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Maryland - College Park

11
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In PA
52 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Easton. This college ranks 9th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 52 political science students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Lafayette College

12
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In DC
282 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. This university ranks 3rd out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were approximately 282 political science students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from American University

13
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In PA
89 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #66 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 89 political science students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Bucknell University

14
Barnard crest
Barnard College
New York, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In NY
46 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 6th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 46 political science students who graduated with this degree at Barnard in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Barnard College

15
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In PA
133 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 133 political science students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from Villanova University

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DE
158 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

UD is a very large public university located in the suburb of Newark. This university ranks 1st out of 4 colleges for overall quality in the state of Delaware.

There were approximately 158 political science students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from University of Delaware

17
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In NY
79 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Colgate is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Hamilton. A Best Colleges rank of #67 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Colgate is a great university overall.

There were approximately 79 political science students who graduated with this degree at Colgate in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Colgate University

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31st Most Popular In NY
38 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 14th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 38 political science students who graduated with this degree at The Graduate Center in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in political science from The Graduate Center, CUNY

19
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NY
198 Poly Sci Degrees Awarded

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse. This university ranks 12th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 198 political science students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in political science from Syracuse University

Rest of the Top Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Political Science Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
20 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
21 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
22 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
23 Fordham University Bronx, NY
24 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
25 Haverford College Haverford, PA

Best Political Science Colleges by State

Explore the best political science colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 1,026 3,636
Pennsylvania 978 2,044
Maryland 618 1,044
New Jersey 614 792
District of Columbia 441 1,091
Delaware 345 172

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Political Science & Government area of study, Political Science has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
American Government & Politics (United States) 227
Other Political Science & Government 158
Political Economy 127

View All Poly Sci Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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