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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Political Science & Government in California

177 Ranked Colleges
$39,400 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Political Science & Government is the 20th most popular major in the country with 47,686 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , political science & government graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,399 and had an average of $21,996 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 7,951 political science & government graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,769 and $18,231 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California” ranking looked at 177 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science & government. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in political science & government.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california political science students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Political Science & Government in California

1
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Scripps College
Claremont, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Scripps College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 more about Political Science & Government at Scripps College

2
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Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California

Out of the 177 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Claremont McKenna College landed the #2 spot on the list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 46 students in 2021-2022.

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 98%.

Full Claremont McKenna Political Science & Government Report

3
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Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Occidental College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 22 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%.

Full Occidental College Political Science & Government Report

4
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Pomona College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 25 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Pomona Political Science & Government Report

5
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Pitzer College
Claremont, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pitzer College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California. Pitzer is located in Claremont, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Pitzer

6

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 707 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2021-2022.

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 0.7% 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%.

Full UCLA Political Science & Government Report

7

University of California - Merced ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 119 diplomas to qualified ’s political science students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Merced

8

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 268 degrees to qualified ’s political science students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Santa Barbara

9
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Copper Mountain Community College
Joshua Tree, California

With a ranking of #9, Copper Mountain Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Joshua Tree, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Copper Mountain Community College Political Science & Government Report

10

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 380 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCSD Political Science & Government Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 308 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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

Full UCR Political Science & Government Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 492 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UC Berkeley

13
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Whittier College
Whittier, California

Whittier College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Whittier College is a small school located in Whittier, California that handed out 18 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Whittier Political Science & Government Report

14
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Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s political science degrees to 72 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Santa Clara University

15

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 178 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at UC Santa Cruz

16
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Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 91 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.

Full Loyola Marymount Political Science & Government Report

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 248 ’s political science degrees to qualified 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at University of California - Irvine

18
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Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Westmont is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 12 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Westmont Political Science & Government Report

19
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

With a ranking of #19, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 22 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 Claremont Graduate University

20

University of California - Davis ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 343 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of California - Davis

21
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Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. This fairly large school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 75 ’s political science degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Political Science & Government at Chapman University

22
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California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. CLU is located in Thousand Oaks, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 24 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CLU Political Science & Government Report

23
San Diego Mesa College crest
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California

San Diego Mesa College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 26 students in 2021-2022.

Read more about Political Science & Government at San Diego Mesa College

24
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Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Santa Monica College is located in Santa Monica, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 177 ’s political science degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Santa Monica College

25

With a ranking of #25, California State University - Channel Islands did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California list. Camarillo, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s political science degrees to 36 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at California State University - Channel Islands

Rest of the Best 27 in Schools Highly Focused on Political Science Major in California

Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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Notes and References

References

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