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2024 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

128 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
8,410 Bachelor's Degrees
$35,450 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #12 in popularity, political science & government is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 128 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 8,410 bachelor's degrees in political science & government to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region The political science bachelor's degree 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.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree 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 collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for political science & government students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Political Science & Government Schools

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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 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in the Middle Atlantic Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
139 Annual Graduates
$49,929 Median Starting Salary
$14,722 Median Student Debt

University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at University of Pennsylvania earn $14,479 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Pennsylvania

2
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
244 Annual Graduates
$51,297 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

Georgetown University is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University earn a boost of around $15,847 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Georgetown University

3
231 Annual Graduates
$52,096 Median Starting Salary
$22,943 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $16,646 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
147 Annual Graduates
$51,469 Median Starting Salary
$14,400 Median Student Debt

Cornell University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at Cornell University get $16,019 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Cornell University

5

Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University get an earnings boost of around $16,633 over the average income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Johns Hopkins University

6
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
194 Annual Graduates
$48,488 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from New York University get an earnings boost of around $13,038 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from New York University

7
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Princeton University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,381 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Princeton University

8
321 Annual Graduates
$44,076 Median Starting Salary
$23,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government major at George Washington University get $8,626 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from George Washington University

9
319 Annual Graduates
$42,670 Median Starting Salary
$18,768 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park receive an earnings boost of around $7,220 above the average income of political science & government graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Maryland - College Park

10
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA

Located in the large suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College earn $7,669 more than the average political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Swarthmore College

11
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
226 Annual Graduates
$45,217 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from American University earn $9,767 more than the standard political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from American University

12
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
61 Annual Graduates
$46,408 Median Starting Salary
$13,640 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Lafayette College earn a boost of around $10,958 over the average earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Lafayette College

13
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
89 Annual Graduates
$49,507 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lewisburg.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Bucknell University make $14,057 more than the standard political science student.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Bucknell University

14
Barnard crest
Barnard College
New York, NY
46 Annual Graduates
$48,807 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Barnard is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of New York.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at Barnard College earn $13,357 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Barnard College

15
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
123 Annual Graduates
$39,029 Median Starting Salary
$25,620 Median Student Debt

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Villanova University make $3,579 more than the standard political science grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Villanova University

16
148 Annual Graduates
$37,692 Median Starting Salary
$24,998 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at University of Delaware make $2,242 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Delaware

17
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
79 Annual Graduates
$42,813 Median Starting Salary
$16,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government degree program at Colgate University get $7,363 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Colgate University

18
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
180 Annual Graduates
$39,308 Median Starting Salary
$26,799 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from Syracuse University get an earnings boost of approximately $3,858 above the average earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Syracuse University

19
195 Annual Graduates
$27,341 Median Starting Salary
$25,900 Median Student Debt

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.

After graduating, political science bachelor's recipients usually earn about $27,341 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Rest of the Top Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
20 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
21 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
22 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
23 Fordham University Bronx, NY
24 Haverford College Haverford, PA
25 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science & government colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 275 3,475
Pennsylvania 274 2,010
Maryland 207 1,012
New Jersey 193 721
Delaware 130 162
District of Columbia 126 1,030

View All Rankings >

Political Science & Government is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Political Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science 8,167
Political Economy 111
Other Political Science & Government 85
American Government & Politics (United States) 47

Majors Similar to Political Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 9,364
Sociology 4,593
International Relations & National Security 2,787
General Social Sciences 1,714
Anthropology 1,247
Other Social Sciences 722
Geography & Cartography 642
Urban Studies 304
Sociology & Anthropology 159
Archeology 59

Notes and References

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