2023 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
18
Ranked Colleges
1,786
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Political Science & Government is the 20th most popular major in the country with 49,282 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Virginia, there were 1,786 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,500 and $25,463 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 18 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
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 in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington and Lee University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. Lexington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k list, Washington and Lee has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee University is $6,505 for virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Washington and Lee
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $10,995 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at William & Mary
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 114 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,019 for virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Richmond. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at URichmond, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for URichmond is $16,063 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Richmond
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #5 spot on the list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 200 students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $18,372 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Virginia Tech
George Mason University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 217 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,066 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend George Mason University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 86%.
Full GMU Political Science & Government Report
James Madison University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 130 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $19,216 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at JMU
Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Old Dominion, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion University is $16,954 for virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Old Dominion
With a ranking of #9, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
Radford also took the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Radford University is $16,716 for virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Radford University
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 201 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $18,553 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend VCU.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Mary Washington landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fredericksburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMW has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMW is $19,728 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Mary Washington
Regent University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 32 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Regent University is $24,954 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Regent
With a ranking of #13, Roanoke College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Salem, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Roanoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $23,983 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Roanoke College.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Roanoke College
Christopher Newport University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Newport News, Virginia, this small public school awarded 87 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make $48-$75k list, CNU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,165 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CNU.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Christopher Newport University
Randolph - Macon College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ashland, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Randolph - Macon College is $22,621 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Randolph - Macon Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #16, Virginia State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Petersburg, Virginia, and it awarded 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia State also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,200 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Virginia State University.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Virginia State University
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 177 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $27,305 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Liberty University Political Science & Government Report
Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Hampden-Sydney, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Hampden - Sydney not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Hampden - Sydney is $24,999 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergraduate 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. The undergrad 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 Hampden - Sydney
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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
- *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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