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2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee

12 Ranked Colleges
665 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in Tennessee

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Tennessee, there were 693 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,388 and $22,152 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 665 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science and government. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 Tennessee

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 164 students in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $18,825 for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at UT Knoxville

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that handed out 57 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Middle Tennessee State University is $12,464 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Political Science & Government Report

#3

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee Tech University is $15,929 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Tennessee Tech University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee. Chattanooga, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $12,952 for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend UT Chattanooga.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UT Chattanooga

#5

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofM, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $13,248 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend University of Memphis.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Memphis

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #6. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school situated in Martin, Tennessee. It awarded 9 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Martin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin is $10,955 for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students.

Full UT Martin Political Science & Government Report

#7

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee
#12 in overall quality

Tennessee State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Tennessee State University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee State University is $12,443 for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students.

Full Tennessee State University Political Science & Government Report

#8

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Austin Peay State University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $13,692 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Austin Peay State University.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Austin Peay State University

#9

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

With a ranking of #9, East Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. This fairly large school is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for ETSU is $14,332 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at East Tennessee State University

Sewanee - The University of the South ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee list. Sewanee - The University of the South is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sewanee, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students list, Sewanee has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $30,474 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Sewanee.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Sewanee Political Science & Government Report

#11

Rhodes College

Memphis, Tennessee

Rhodes College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students list, Rhodes College has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rhodes College is $27,540 for tennessee bachelor’s degree political science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Rhodes College

#12

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee ranking. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $19,432 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt University

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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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