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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

58 Ranked Colleges
3,962 Degrees Awarded
$8,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Southwest region, there were 3,962 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,993 and $20,539 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 58 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 46 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice also took the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $3,437 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive 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 97%.

Full Rice University Political Science & Government Report

#2

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2019-2020.

CNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $2,604 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Central New Mexico Community College.

Full CNM Political Science & Government Report

#3

Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma City Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and it awarded 11 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

OCCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend OCCC is $5,889 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science & Government at OCCC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 59 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,993 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Political Science & Government Report

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Laredo, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $2,261 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Texas A&M International University

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 303 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 students.

Full Texas A&M College Station Political Science & Government Report

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 408 students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also took the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

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

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Arizona State University - Tempe

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 123 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,521 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Texas.

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 University of North Texas

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 347 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at The University of Texas at Austin

#10

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 214 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Arizona

#11

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Texas Woman’s University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas Woman’s University is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,706 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend TWU.

Full Texas Woman’s University Political Science & Government Report

#12

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 114 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,317 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Texas Tech University

University of North Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,732 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Texas at Dallas.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of North Texas at Dallas

The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,516 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UTSA

#15

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #15, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 222 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k list, UH has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Houston

#16

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

Trinity University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Trinity University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 27 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity U also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Trinity University is $12,373 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Trinity University

With a ranking of #17, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 56 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $8,669 for Southwest Region 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 85%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at OSU

The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 80 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $10,857 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Dallas.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. UT Tyler is a medium-sized school located in Tyler, Texas that handed out 24 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,797 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Tyler.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UT Tyler

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Odessa, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

UT Permian Basin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,889 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Permian Basin.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UT Permian Basin

Southeastern Oklahoma State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for southwest region political science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#22

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

East Central University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. East Central University is a small public school situated in Ada, Oklahoma. It awarded 5 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,787 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend East Central University.

Read more about Political Science & Government at ECU

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 52 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UTEP is $7,092 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Political Science & Government at The University of Texas at El Paso

#24

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

Angelo State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Angelo State University is a fairly large public school situated in San Angelo, Texas. It awarded 11 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Angelo State is $9,799 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Angelo State

#25

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas State University is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 140 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Texas State University

#25

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. ASU - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 159 ’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,037 for Southwest Region Political Science students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Skysong.

Read more about Political Science & Government at ASU - Skysong

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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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