2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k
18
Ranked Colleges
1,786
Degrees Awarded
$23,900
Avg Net Price*
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 Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 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 $75-$110k” 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.
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. 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 $75-$110k”.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Political Science & Government (Income $75-$110k) in Virginia
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington and Lee University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 59 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $13,860 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 Washington and Lee University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 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 $22,021 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Virginia.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Full University of Virginia Political Science & Government Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia. It awarded 170 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
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 $19,472 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
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 $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #4 spot on the list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 200 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $23,999 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Virginia Tech.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 93%.
Full Virginia Tech Political Science & Government Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k list. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 217 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $22,013 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend GMU.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at GMU
James Madison University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at JMU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $24,471 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend James Madison University.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at James Madison University
University of Richmond landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 41 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 yearly cost to attend URichmond is $22,625 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 93%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Richmond
Regent University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Regent University is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Regent also took the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Regent University is $29,646 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Regent
Old Dominion University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Old Dominion University is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Old Dominion also took the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $20,919 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Old Dominion.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Old Dominion University
Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #10. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 201 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k list, VCU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,030 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full VCU Political Science & Government Report
Radford University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Radford, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $20,541 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Radford University.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Radford University
Christopher Newport University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CNU is $26,574 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at CNU
Roanoke College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Roanoke College is located in Salem, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Roanoke also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke College is $28,042 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Roanoke College
With a ranking of #14, University of Mary Washington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k list. 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.
UMW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $27,339 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UMW.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMW Political Science & Government Report
Randolph - Macon College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Randolph - Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees 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 yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon is $25,877 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.
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%. 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 Randolph - Macon
Virginia State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Virginia State is a small school located in Petersburg, Virginia that handed out 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia State, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia State is $20,708 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k.
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 $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 177 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $28,443 for Virginia Political Science students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Liberty University
Hampden - Sydney College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools in Virginia For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, and it awarded 20 ’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Hampden - Sydney also took the #15 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hampden - Sydney is $31,153 for virginia political science students whose families make $75-$110k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. 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.
Full Hampden - Sydney Political Science & Government Report
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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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