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2023 Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

21 Ranked Colleges
123 Degrees Awarded
$30,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’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 the Southwest region, there were 4,291 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,413 and $22,072 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 21 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the political science and government program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree vets studying political science.

Top 21 Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. During this same period, 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe, 7,566 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. In addition to receiving other benefits, 672 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at ASU - Tempe]](/colleges/arizona-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona also took the #5 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. To help with additional expenses, 31 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s list. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma, 12 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. During this same period, 0 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%. 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 veteran student life at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus]](/colleges/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus/student-life/veterans/)

5
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #5 spot on the list. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 3 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying political science list, UH has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at UH were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for 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 86%. 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…

6
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

With a ranking of #6, Texas State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s list. Texas State University is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 16 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State, 2,559 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

7

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 13 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Austin also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2.Among the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,893. 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.

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

Full The University of Texas at Austin Veteran Student Life Report

8

University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 22,311 students enrolled at University of New Mexico - Main Campus, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

9

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UTSA also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16.Of the 34,742 students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio, 3,565 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,531. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through 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…

10
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s political science degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech University, 1,242 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 630 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,480. To help with additional expenses, 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 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 Texas Tech]](/colleges/texas-tech-university/student-life/veterans/)

11

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified masters’s political science students in 2020-2021.

UNT also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12.Among the 40,953 students enrolled at UNT, 2,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,999. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNT does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

12

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 4 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU, 1,038 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,226. During this same period, 39 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. OSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Full OSU Veteran Student Life Report

13

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. The University of Texas at Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Dallas also took the #7 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 28,669 students enrolled at UT Dallas, 752 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 458 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,706. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UT Dallas does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Dallas]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-dallas/student-life/veterans/)

14

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. UT Arlington is a large public school situated in Arlington, Texas. It awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Arlington also took the #19 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, UT Arlington supports 48,072 students, and 2,109 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,211 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. On top of their other funding sources, 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%.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Veteran Student Life Report

15
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Rice University supports 7,643 students, and 157 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 80 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,656. To help with additional expenses, 68 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 [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 Rice Veteran Student Life Report

16

Texas Woman’s University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. TWU is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 3 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying political science list, TWU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas Woman’s University supports 16,433 students, and 495 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 251 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,466. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Texas Woman’s University Veteran Student Life Report

17

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Rio Grande Valley also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17.Among the 32,441 students enrolled at UT Rio Grande Valley, 871 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 302 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,560. 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 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 UT Rio Grande Valley Veteran Student Life Report

18

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #18. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 2 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

NMSU Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, NMSU Main Campus supports 14,227 students, and 620 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 285 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,880. 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 NMSU Main Campus]](/colleges/new-mexico-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

19

With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s list. UTEP is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,873 of the 24,879 students enrolled at The University of Texas at El Paso were GI Bill® students, of which 942 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,990. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

20

Baylor University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. Baylor is located in Waco, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s political science degrees to qualified students.

Baylor also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #6.Among the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor, 876 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. On top of their other funding sources, 263 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full Baylor Veteran Student Life Report

21

University of Dallas came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Political Science for a Master’s ranking. UD is a small school located in Irving, Texas that handed out 3 masters’s political science degrees in 2020-2021.

UD also made our “Best Political Science & Government Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10.Of the 2,489 students enrolled at UD, 73 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 57 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,000. During this same period, 1 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Dallas]](/colleges/university-of-dallas/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

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