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

12 Ranked Colleges
444 Degrees Awarded
$21,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” 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 Iowa, there were 449 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,050 and $21,550 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 444 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, we looked at 12 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa

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

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

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 97 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State University is $15,496 for iowa bachelor’s degree political science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Iowa State University

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #3 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend University of Iowa.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full Iowa Political Science & Government Report

#3

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The 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 full report on Political Science & Government at UNI

#4

Central College

Pella, Iowa
#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Central is located in Pella, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $23,269 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Central.

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%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Central College

#5

Loras College

Dubuque, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loras College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Loras also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loras is $20,676 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Loras College

#6

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa

Simpson College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Simpson College is a small school located in Indianola, Iowa that handed out 10 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

Simpson College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Simpson College is $19,151 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Simpson College

#7

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

Drake University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drake, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Drake is $29,432 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. 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.

Full Drake University Political Science & Government Report

#8

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Wartburg College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Wartburg College is located in Waverly, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wartburg, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $21,787 for iowa bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Wartburg College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Wartburg College Political Science & Government Report

#9

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

Luther College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Luther, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Luther College is $23,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree political science students.

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%.

Full Luther Political Science & Government Report

#10

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

Cornell College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking, coming in at #10. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 7 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree political science students list, Cornell College has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell College is $26,901 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.

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%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Cornell College

#11

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#10 in overall quality

Coe College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Coe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,955 for iowa bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Coe College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Coe College

#12

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

With a ranking of #12, Grinnell College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 49 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.

Grinnell also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grinnell is $22,486 for Iowa 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Grinnell

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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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