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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

88 Ranked Colleges
7,492 Degrees Awarded
$7,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 48,597 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. 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 Far Western US region, there were 9,831 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,604 and $19,866 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,492 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 88 colleges that offer a degree in political science and government. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great political science and government programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the political science and government program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

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 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 57 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.5%, 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 86%.

Full Stanford University Political Science & Government Report

#2

Pomona College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Pomona College landed the #2 spot on the list. Pomona is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 19 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Pomona also took the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,655 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Pomona.

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

Read more about Political Science & Government at Pomona College

#3

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Claremont McKenna is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, Claremont McKenna has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Claremont McKenna is $6,591 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Claremont McKenna College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 356 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,467 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 482 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,130 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 & Government at University of California - Berkeley

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 692 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,254 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

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 96%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Los Angeles

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Political Science & Government Report

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 full report on Political Science & Government at UC Irvine

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Fresno landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 67 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,115 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUDH.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Political Science & Government Report

#12

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 247 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $9,151 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Riverside

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 297 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,895 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 UCSB

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 390 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,974 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - San Diego

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 172 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Political Science & Government Report

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 20 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $3,958 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Stan State

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 267 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,769 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Davis

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,883 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 California State University - Northridge

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 61 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,869 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full California State University - San Bernardino Political Science & Government Report

#20

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,594 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend San Diego State University.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at San Diego State University

#21

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wazzu is located in Pullman, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 83 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Wazzu is $11,337 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Wazzu

California State University - Sacramento came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 174 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,823 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 29 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Bakersfield is $3,880 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full CSUB Political Science & Government Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNLV is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 78 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,880 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNLV.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

#25

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Oxy also took the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,662 for far western us region bachelor’s degree political science students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Occidental College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Occidental College

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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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