2021 Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in the United States
Finding the Best Political Science & Government Schools for Vets
In 2018-2019, 41,811 people earned their bachelor's in political science and government, making the major the #13 most popular in the United States.
This year's Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in the United States ranking looked at 362 colleges that offer a bachelor's in political science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality political science and government programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the political science and government program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Political Science Schools for Veterans list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
2021 Best Political Science & Government Schools for Veterans in the United States
Check out the political science programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for vets.
Top 25 Most Veteran Friendly Political Science & Government Schools
Georgetown University landed the #1 spot in our 2021 rankings for best value political science and government schools. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Georgetown also made our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list, coming in at #1.
Our most recent data shows that 870 of the 19,204 students enrolled at Georgetown were GI Bill® students, of which 809 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,728. During this same period, 254 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Georgetown does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings for best value political science and government schools. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #3 rank in our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States ranking.
Of the 31,077 students enrolled at Columbia, 797 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 528 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $20,878. To help with additional expenses, 361 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to George Washington University. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. GWU not only placed well in our veterans rankings. It is also #5 on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Among the 28,172 students enrolled at GWU, 1,274 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,076 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $16,151. To help with additional expenses, 349 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Harvard University earned the #4 spot in our 2021 rankings. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge. Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
According to our most recent data, Harvard supports 31,566 students, and 378 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 297 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $22,846. During this same period, 175 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. Notre Dame excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
According to our most recent data, Notre Dame supports 12,607 students, and 361 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 303 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,306. On top of their other funding sources, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #6 spot in our 2021 rankings. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. In addition to being on our bet for vets list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
According to our most recent data, UNC Chapel Hill supports 30,011 students, and 641 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 419 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,668. In addition to receiving other benefits, 18 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Maryland - College Park. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a very large student population. UMCP also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Of the 41,200 students enrolled at UMCP, 896 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 672 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $13,240. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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New York University comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. NYU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Of the 51,847 students enrolled at NYU, 681 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 482 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $21,831. During this same period, 265 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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American University earned the #9 spot in our 2021 rankings. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington. In addition to being on our bet for vets list, The American University is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Our most recent data shows that 614 of the 14,311 students enrolled at The American University were GI Bill® students, of which 522 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $22,029. On top of their other funding sources, 245 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Our rankings recognize University of Pennsylvania as the #10 school in this year's rankings. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
According to our most recent data, UPenn supports 25,860 students, and 272 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 153 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $22,428. During this same period, 106 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The #11 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Boston College. Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Boston College also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Of the 14,720 students enrolled at Boston College, 164 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 130 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $24,987. During this same period, 74 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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Our rankings recognize University of California - Berkeley as the #12 school in this year's rankings. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley. In addition to being on our bet for vets list, UC Berkeley is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Our most recent data shows that 557 of the 42,501 students enrolled at UC Berkeley were GI Bill® students, of which 401 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $22,465. To help with additional expenses, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The #13 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #4 rank in our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States ranking.
Of the 13,433 students enrolled at Yale, 60 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 58 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $18,964. On top of their other funding sources, 29 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor comes in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U of Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our veterans rankings, U of Michigan also did well on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
Among the 46,716 students enrolled at U of Michigan, 509 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 321 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $26,841. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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American Public University System earned the #15 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.
Of the 46,088 students enrolled at American Military University, 17,648 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15,614 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $3,733. In addition to receiving other benefits, 10 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Our rankings recognize Princeton University as the #16 school in this year's rankings. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Our most recent data shows that 17 of the 8,374 students enrolled at Princeton were GI Bill® students, of which 12 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $36,219. On top of their other funding sources, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The University of Texas at Austin earned the #17 spot in our 2021 rankings. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin. In addition to being on our bet for vets list, UT Austin is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Among the 51,832 students enrolled at UT Austin, 1,201 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 843 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,949. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Cornell University comes in at #18 in this year's ranking. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cornell also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States ranking.
According to our most recent data, Cornell supports 23,600 students, and 621 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 519 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $10,152. On top of their other funding sources, 150 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Our rankings recognize Duke University as the #19 school in this year's rankings. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham. Duke also took the #7 spot in our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States rankings.
Among the 16,606 students enrolled at Duke, 288 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 248 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $24,322. To help with additional expenses, 115 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Northeastern University earned the #20 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. Northeastern also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
According to our most recent data, Northeastern supports 21,627 students, and 700 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 515 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,457. During this same period, 171 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Our rankings recognize Catholic University of America as the #21 school in this year's rankings. CUA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. CUA excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
Our most recent data shows that 206 of the 5,956 students enrolled at CUA were GI Bill® students, of which 162 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $21,176. In addition to receiving other benefits, 66 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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The #22 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Ohio State University - Main Campus. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus. Ohio State excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list.
According to our most recent data, Ohio State supports 61,170 students, and 1,851 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,158 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,438. Ohio State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Florida State University landed the #23 spot in our 2021 rankings for best value political science and government schools. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public school with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our veterans rankings, Florida State also did well on our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
According to our most recent data, Florida State supports 41,005 students, and 986 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 582 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,897. On top of their other funding sources, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Florida State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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The #24 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Texas A&M University - College Station. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M is a public school with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas A&M also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Political Science & Government in the United States ranking.
Among the 68,679 students enrolled at Texas A&M, 2,040 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,388 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for these recipients was $9,525. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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George Mason University comes in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 37,316 students enrolled at GMU, 2,265 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,599 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,143. During this same period, 44 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. GMU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Request InformationRest of the Top Schools for Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in the United States
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in the United States badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 362 different United States political science and government schools we analyzed.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
51 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
52 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
53 | College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
54 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for United States vets studying Political Science that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Colleges for Veterans in the United States award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
55 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
56 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
57 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
58 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
59 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
60 | Pennsylvania State University - University Park | University Park, PA |
61 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
62 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
63 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
64 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
65 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
66 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
67 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
68 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
69 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
70 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
71 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
72 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI |
Political Science & Government by Region
View the best for vets Political Science & Government colleges in a specific region near you.
Region |
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Southeast |
New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
Middle Atlantic |
Far Western US |
Southwest |
Great Lakes |
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Political Science & Government Related Veterans Rankings by Major
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Political Science
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Economics | 40,355 |
Sociology | 29,920 |
International Relations & National Security | 9,868 |
Anthropology | 9,040 |
Criminology | 8,478 |
View All Political Science Related Majors >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.
**GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
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 the rest 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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