2023 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
18
Ranked Colleges
1,685
Degrees Awarded
$37,487
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Political Science & Government is the 20th most popular major in the country with 49,282 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,387 and had an average of $23,175 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 1,786 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,500 and $25,463 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,685 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,553 and $27,844 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 18 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the political science and government program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 18 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #1 spot on the list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also took the #4 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.According to our most recent data, William & Mary supports 8,939 students, and 531 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 349 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,978. On top of their other funding sources, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at William & Mary]](/colleges/college-of-william-and-mary/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Our most recent data shows that 2,334 of the 38,541 students enrolled at GMU were GI Bill® students, of which 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. During this same period, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. GMU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at George Mason University]](/colleges/george-mason-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #3 spot on the list. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 119 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Our most recent data shows that 842 of the 21,594 students enrolled at James Madison University were GI Bill® students, of which 464 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,824. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at JMU]](/colleges/james-madison-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.According to our most recent data, Virginia Tech supports 37,024 students, and 119 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 108 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,314. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Virginia Tech]](/colleges/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school handed out 201 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree vets studying political science list, VCU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Of the 29,070 students enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 108 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree vets studying political science list, University of Virginia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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…
Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.According to our most recent data, Christopher Newport University supports 4,868 students, and 344 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 196 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,614. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Christopher Newport University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #8, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Among the 24,286 students enrolled at Old Dominion, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Washington and Lee University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. Lexington, 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 59 students in 2020-2021.
Washington and Lee not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Our most recent data shows that 39 of the 2,183 students enrolled at Washington and Lee were GI Bill® students, of which 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,415. In addition to receiving other benefits, 24 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Washington and Lee]](/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/student-life/veterans/)
Liberty University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 148 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.According to our most recent data, Liberty University supports 93,349 students, and 13,282 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. During this same period, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Liberty University]](/colleges/liberty-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of Mary Washington did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. University of Mary Washington is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Among the 4,293 students enrolled at University of Mary Washington, 47 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 39 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,578. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UMW Veteran Student Life Report
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Radford University is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford, 460 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Radford]](/colleges/radford-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #13, University of Lynchburg did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s 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 7 students in 2020-2021.
Lynchburg also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #16.Among the 2,692 students enrolled at University of Lynchburg, 180 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 125 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,684. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Lynchburg]](/colleges/lynchburg-college/student-life/veterans/)
Roanoke College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. Salem, 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 20 students in 2020-2021.
Roanoke also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Of the 1,920 students enrolled at Roanoke College, 68 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 50 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,471. On top of their other funding sources, 26 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Roanoke College Veteran Student Life Report
Hampden - Sydney College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Hampden - Sydney is located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
Hampden - Sydney not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Of the 881 students enrolled at Hampden - Sydney College, 41 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,329. In addition to receiving other benefits, 16 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Hampden - Sydney College Veteran Student Life Report
Virginia State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. Petersburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s political science degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.According to our most recent data, Virginia State University supports 4,020 students, and 368 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 112 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,578. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Virginia State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Virginia State Veteran Student Life Report
Randolph - Macon College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s list. Randolph - Macon is a small school located in Ashland, Virginia that handed out 14 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Among the 1,554 students enrolled at Randolph - Macon, 70 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,291. On top of their other funding sources, 34 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Randolph - Macon]](/colleges/randolph-macon-college/student-life/veterans/)
University of Richmond came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Political Science for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Richmond is a small school located in University of Richmond, Virginia that handed out 41 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.
URichmond also took the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 51 of the 4,056 students enrolled at University of Richmond were GI Bill® students, of which 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,556. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 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)
- 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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