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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

60 Ranked Colleges
1,830 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Political Science & Government is the 21st most popular major in the country with 48,597 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 1,897 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,459 and $25,260 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,830 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 60 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The political science 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 “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 158 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $3,181 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Pennsylvania Political Science & Government Report

#2

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Swarthmore College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Swarthmore is located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Swarthmore did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Swarthmore is $5,860 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Swarthmore College

#3

Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Haverford College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Haverford, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Haverford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Haverford is $6,582 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Haverford

#4

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania

Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lafayette College landed the #4 spot on the list. Lafayette College is a small school located in Easton, Pennsylvania that handed out 85 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Lafayette also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette is $6,934 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Lafayette Political Science & Government Report

#5

Dickinson College

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Dickinson College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Dickinson is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It awarded 55 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dickinson has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson is $11,046 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Dickinson Political Science & Government Report

#6

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.

Gettysburg also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Gettysburg is $11,244 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The 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.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Gettysburg College

#7

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, Lehigh University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehigh University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Lehigh also took the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $14,080 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehigh.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive 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 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 more about Political Science & Government at Lehigh University

#8

Franklin and Marshall College

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Franklin and Marshall College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Franklin and Marshall not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Franklin and Marshall is $11,503 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Franklin and Marshall

#9

University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg

Greensburg, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Greensburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Pitt Greensburg is $13,700 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 & Government at Pitt Greensburg

#10

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Bryn Mawr College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bryn Mawr is a small school located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania that handed out 32 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Bryn Mawr did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bryn Mawr College is $13,226 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Bryn Mawr College

#11

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Pitt Johnstown is a small school located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that handed out 8 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Pitt Johnstown is $16,112 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Pitt Johnstown

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 186 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $20,075 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pitt.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 & Government at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

#13

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #13, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

SRU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $14,088 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SRU.

Full SRU Political Science & Government Report

#14

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Mansfield, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,083 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mansfield University.

Full Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Political Science & Government Report

#15

Saint Vincent College

Latrobe, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

Saint Vincent College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Saint Vincent is a small school located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania that handed out 4 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Saint Vincent, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Vincent College is $14,691 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Saint Vincent

#16

Lycoming College

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Lycoming College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lycoming College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It awarded 10 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,906 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lycoming College.

Full Lycoming Political Science & Government Report

#17

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #17, Bucknell University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 92 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bucknell has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $22,342 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bucknell University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 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.

Full Bucknell Political Science & Government Report

#18

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania

West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, this fairly large public school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,531 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WCUPA.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at WCUPA

#19

Albright College

Reading, Pennsylvania

Albright College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Albright is a small school located in Reading, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,077 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Albright.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Albright

#20

Susquehanna University

Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Susquehanna University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Susquehanna is a small school located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania that handed out 16 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Susquehanna also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for Susquehanna University is $19,823 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Susquehanna Political Science & Government Report

#21

Muhlenberg College

Allentown, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #21, Muhlenberg College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Muhlenberg is a private not-for-profit institution located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Muhlenberg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Muhlenberg College is $14,567 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 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.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Muhlenberg College

#22

Westminster College Pennsylvania

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Westminster New Wilmington is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Westminster New Wilmington is $15,267 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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 more about Political Science & Government at Westminster New Wilmington

#23

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Edinboro, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,169 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Edinboro.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

#24

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Bloomsburg is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is $15,638 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Political Science & Government Report

#25

Allegheny College

Meadville, Pennsylvania

Allegheny College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Allegheny is a private not-for-profit institution located in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,221 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Allegheny College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Allegheny

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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