College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

19 Colleges in Virginia
1,685 Bachelor's Degrees
$37,487 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #12 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 19 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of political science & government. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,685 bachelor's degrees in political science & government during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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 Virginia 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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 account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our full 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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Political Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Political Science & Government Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Political Science & Government in Virginia

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science & government.

10 Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Political Science

1
108 Annual Graduates
$45,129 Median Starting Salary
$18,015 Median Student Debt

University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive $7,642 more than the average political science student.

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

2

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in political science & government has to check out Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lexington.

Bachelor's recipients from the political science & government program at Washington and Lee University get $9,744 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
185 Annual Graduates
$38,529 Median Starting Salary
$24,250 Median Student Debt

Virginia Tech is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in political science & government. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

Soon after graduation, political science bachelor's recipients generally earn around $38,529 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from Virginia Tech

4
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
170 Annual Graduates
$43,630 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat William & Mary if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science & government. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from William & Mary earn a boost of around $6,143 above the typical earnings of political science & government majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in political science & government from William & Mary

5
207 Annual Graduates
$42,975 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Political Science & Government bachelor's degree recipients from George Mason University receive an earnings boost of around $5,488 above the average earnings of political science & government graduates.

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

6
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
119 Annual Graduates
$35,969 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the political science program report average early career earnings of $35,969.

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

7
URichmond crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, VA
41 Annual Graduates
$40,110 Median Starting Salary
$23,080 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of University of Richmond, URichmond is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Richmond make $2,623 more than the typical political science graduate.

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

8
201 Annual Graduates
$32,107 Median Starting Salary
$21,376 Median Student Debt

VCU is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.

After graduation, political science bachelor's recipients usually earn around $32,107 at the beginning of their careers.

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

9
87 Annual Graduates
$37,880 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Newport News, CNU is a public university with a small student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the political science program earn around $37,880 in their early career salary.

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

10
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, VA

Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem.

Those political science & government students who get their bachelor's degree from Roanoke College make $7,386 more than the average political science student.

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

Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Political Science & Government Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 2,430
Georgia 224 1,125
Tennessee 220 694
North Carolina 213 1,695
South Carolina 195 756
Kentucky 187 425
Alabama 184 561
Louisiana 171 558
Mississippi 169 268
Arkansas 167 289
West Virginia 147 245

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 1,474
Other Political Science & Government 209
American Government & Politics (United States) 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 1,201
International Relations & National Security 911
Sociology 898
Anthropology 197
Geography & Cartography 172
General Social Sciences 100
Urban Studies 40
Sociology & Anthropology 16

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options