2020 Best Colleges for Political Science & Government
Approximately 44,651 political science and government degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many options it can be a challenge finding the best choice. This year's Best Colleges for Political Science & Government ranking analyzed 590 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in political science and government. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 25 schools for Political Science & Government students.
Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School
The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list a school must excel in the following areas.
Overall Quality is a Must
The overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 3% of our overall quality ranking while the lowest ranked school on the list is still in the top 6%.
Better Early and Mid Career Salaries
Political Science & Government graduates from schools on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. While the average political science and government bachelors degree from U.S. colleges results in an average starting salary of $33,465, graduates of colleges on this list average $45,000.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Political Science & Government students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other political science and government students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized political science and government related accrediting body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for Political Science & Government students.
Best Schools to Study Political Science & Government in United States
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities to study political science and government. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list. Of the 590 schools analyzed, only 25 earned the distinction of being on this list.
Top 25 Best Political Science Colleges
It is difficult to beat Georgetown University if you wish to study political science and government. Located in the city Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 42nd out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There are approximately 316 political science and government undergrads enrolled in this program at Georgetown. Political Science & Government graduates from Georgetown University earn a boost of about $4,100 over the average earnings of political science and government graduates.
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Columbia University in the City of New York is among your top options if you're planning on studying political science and government. Located in the city New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. This college ranks 26th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There are roughly 316 political science and government undergrads studying this degree at Columbia. Columbia University in the City of New York political science and government graduates receive $6,100 more than the typical political science graduate.
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It is hard to beat Princeton University if you want to study political science and government. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Princeton. A Best Colleges rank of 20 out of 1,727 schools nationwide means Princeton is a great college overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Princeton also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Political Science & Government students from Princeton University earn a boost of approximately $2,900 over the typical earnings of political science and government graduates.
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Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for political science and government. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of 19 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great college overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, WUSTL also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree.
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GWU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. This college ranks 105th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
There are roughly 456 political science and government undergrads studying this program at GWU. Students who graduate from the political science program earn about $45,500 in their early career salary.
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Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of 5 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Harvard is a great school overall.
There are approximately 253 political science and government undergraduates enrolled in this degree at Harvard. Political Science & Government graduates from Harvard University get a earnings boost of about $6,800 above the average income of political science and government majors.
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UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of 3 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, UPenn also offers 3 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Graduates from the political science and government major at University of Pennsylvania earn $6,100 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Located in the city New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 4 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great college overall.
There are roughly 181 political science and government undergrads enrolled in this program at Yale. Yale University political science and government students make $4,100 more than the standard political science grad.
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Located in the remote town Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of 9 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great school overall.
There are approximately 152 political science and government undergrads studying this program at Dartmouth. Students from the political science and government program at Dartmouth College get $14,900 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of 1 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great school overall.
Duke University is one of the most popular school to study political science in United States exceeding 139 graduates last year. Political Science & Government majors from Duke University earn a boost of about $2,400 over the average income of political science and government majors.
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UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley. This school ranks 65th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
For those interested in something more advanced, UC Berkeley also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). After graduating, political science students typically earn about $40,100 in their early careers.
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Located in the large suburb Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 13 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great school overall.
There are approximately 168 political science and government undergrads studying this degree at Notre Dame. After graduation, political science students usually earn an average of $47,000 in the first five years of their career.
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Located in the city Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 8 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great school overall.
University of Chicago is a fairly popular college to study political science in United States with more than 146 graduations last year. After graduation, political science students generally make an average of $36,700 in the first five years of their career.
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UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles. This college ranks 49th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
For those interested in something more advanced, UCLA also offers 3 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). After getting their bachelor's degree, political science students usually make around $36,200 at the beginning of their careers.
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Located in the small city Evanston, Northwestern U is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 10 out of 1,727 schools nationwide means Northwestern U is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Northwestern U also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). After graduating, political science students usually make an average of $47,000 in their early careers.
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Bowdoin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Brunswick. This school ranks 25th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maine.
There are about 101 political science and government undergrads studying this degree at Bowdoin. Bowdoin College political science and government majors make $5,400 more than the standard political science graduate.
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Located in the large suburb Davidson, Davidson is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This school ranks 39th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
A preferred major for political science and government undergraduates, there are approximately 78 learners enrolled in this degree at Davidson.
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Boston College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill. This college ranks 58th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
For those interested in something more advanced, Boston College also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Students who graduate from the political science program make about $44,600 in the first couple years of their career.
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Middlebury is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Middlebury. This college ranks 41st out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Vermont.
There are roughly 59 political science and government undergraduates enrolled in this degree at Middlebury.
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UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. This school ranks 50th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There are about 435 political science and government undergrads enrolled in this program at UNC Chapel Hill. After graduation, political science students usually make an average of $35,800 at the beginning of their careers.
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Located in the medium-sized city Hartford, Trinity Bantams is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. This college ranks 90th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
A popular major for political science and government undergrads, there are roughly 70 students studying this degree at Trinity Bantams. Students who graduate from the political science program earn around $40,000 in the first couple years of their career.
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Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of 7 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Stanford also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship).
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U of Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor. This college ranks 35th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
For those interested in something more advanced, U of Michigan also offers 2 different higher degree levels in political science and government, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). Graduates of the political science program report average early career income of $40,600.
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Located in the medium-sized city Gainesville, U of F is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 73rd out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There are roughly 327 political science and government undergraduates studying this degree at U of F. Students who graduate from this degree report average early career earnings of $29,300.
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Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester. A Best Colleges rank of 24 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Holy Cross is a great college overall.
With 94 students enrolled, College of the Holy Cross is one of most popular colleges to study political science in United States. Graduates of the political science program make about $44,400 for their early career.
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Additional Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Colleges for Political Science & Government badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 590 different United States political science and government schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Colleges for Political Science & Government award.
Political Science & Government by Region
View the Best Colleges for Political Science & Government for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| The Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Political Science & Government Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Political Science
One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Political Science & Government has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 47,528 |
| Sociology | 37,615 |
| General Social Sciences | 19,123 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,908 |
| Anthropology | 12,008 |
View All Political Science Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
Featured Political and Social Sciences Schools
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