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

24 Ranked Colleges
1,645 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Virginia, there were 1,740 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,125 and $24,672 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,645 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 Virginia” ranking looked at 24 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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

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 Virginia” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 for a Bachelor’s in Virginia

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

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in Virginia

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 194 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $21,198 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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 1.6% 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 Virginia Tech Political Science & Government Report

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 96 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree political science students list, JMU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend JMU.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at JMU

#3

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 112 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,397 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 177 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $21,048 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full GMU Political Science & Government Report

#5

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Christopher Newport University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

CNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Christopher Newport University is $25,596 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Christopher Newport University

With a ranking of #6, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 186 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

VCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $22,021 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at VCU

#7

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia

University of Mary Washington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Fredericksburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

UMW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mary Washington is $21,907 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Mary Washington

#8

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

With a ranking of #8, Radford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Radford, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,447 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Radford University.

Full Radford Political Science & Government Report

#9

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

William & Mary ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 182 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full William & Mary Political Science & Government Report

#10

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia

With a ranking of #10, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Old Dominion also took the #18 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $16,493 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Old Dominion University

#11

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia

With a ranking of #11, Longwood University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood University is $19,462 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Longwood

#12

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 137 students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #20 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Liberty University

#13

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Petersburg, Virginia, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Virginia State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia State University is $16,970 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Virginia State

#14

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Regent University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Regent also took the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Regent is $15,267 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

Full Regent University Political Science & Government Report

#15

Emory and Henry College

Emory, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Emory and Henry College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #15. Emory and Henry College is located in Emory, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Emory & Henry College also took the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emory and Henry College is $18,593 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Emory & Henry College

#16

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia

Marymount University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Marymount did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Marymount is $26,078 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Marymount University

#17

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Virginia Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VWU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,425 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend VWU.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Virginia Wesleyan University

#18

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#17 in overall quality

Bridgewater College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Bridgewater is located in Bridgewater, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Bridgewater also took the #17 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $17,929 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Bridgewater College.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Bridgewater College

#19

Randolph - Macon College

Ashland, Virginia

Randolph - Macon College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Ashland, Virginia, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Randolph - Macon also took the #9 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $26,370 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Randolph - Macon.

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%. 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 Randolph - Macon College

#20

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Virginia
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of Lynchburg did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lynchburg, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,207 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend University of Lynchburg.

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.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Lynchburg

#21

Roanoke College

Salem, Virginia

With a ranking of #21, Roanoke College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roanoke, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roanoke is $25,135 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Roanoke College

#22

Hampden - Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney, Virginia

Hampden - Sydney College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Hampden - Sydney College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hampden - Sydney, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hampden - Sydney is $31,227 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Hampden - Sydney

#23

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia

University of Richmond did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #23. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree political science students list, URichmond has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Richmond is $25,838 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of Richmond

#24

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia

Washington and Lee University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Located in Lexington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 53 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Washington and Lee did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington and Lee University is $22,615 for virginia bachelor’s degree political science students.

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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 Washington and Lee 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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