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2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

6 Ranked Colleges
1,378 Degrees Awarded
$20,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 20th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,387 and had an average of $23,175 in loans still to pay off.

Across District of Columbia, there were 1,378 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,616 and $25,842 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science and government program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for district of columbia political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 306 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.

Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” list. It costs about $3,077 for district of columbia political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgetown.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 94%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Georgetown

2
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k. George Washington University is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 506 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our district of columbia political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, GWU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for GWU is $17,673 for district of columbia 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at George Washington University

3
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, American University landed the #3 spot on the list. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 296 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

The American University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” list. The yearly cost to attend American University is $21,108 for District of Columbia Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. 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 more about Political Science & Government at The American University

4
CUA crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Catholic University of America. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Catholic University of America is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CUA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” list. It costs about $25,747 for District of Columbia Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CUA.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CUA Political Science & Government Report

5
University of the District of Columbia crest
University of the District of Columbia
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of the District of Columbia. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of the District of Columbia is a small school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 38 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

University of the District of Columbia also took the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of the District of Columbia is $15,313 for district of columbia political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate 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.

Full University of the District of Columbia Political Science & Government Report

6
Howard crest
Howard University
Washington, District of Columbia

Howard University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 130 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Howard also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Howard is $39,395 for District of Columbia Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Howard

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