2025 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region
126Colleges in the Southeast Region
11,126Political Science Degrees Awarded
$37,575Avg Early-Career Salary
Political Science & Government is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #20 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 126 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for political science & government students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 11,126 degrees in political science & government to qualified students.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Choosing a Great Political Science & Government School
The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science & Government rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science & government schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Political Science & Government Degree Level
The political science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Best Schools for Political Science & Government in the Southeast Region
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the political science degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Southeast Region Schools in Political Science
Duke University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in political science & government. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were roughly 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Duke University get an earnings boost of around $17,395 over the typical income of political science & government graduates.
Any student who is interested in political science & government needs to take a look at Vanderbilt University. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were roughly 124 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from Vanderbilt University get an earnings boost of around $9,268 above the typical earnings of political science & government graduates.
Gain a solid understanding of American political history, the current political landscape, and the major political parties with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in political science & government. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were roughly 365 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill get an earnings boost of approximately $3,625 over the average earnings of political science & government majors.
Every student who is interested in political science & government needs to take a look at University of Virginia - Main Campus. University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were about 126 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive $8,300 more than the standard political science student.
UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.
There were roughly 452.99999999999994 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,574.
Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were approximately 197 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at Virginia Tech earn $4,539 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Tulane is a great university overall.
There were approximately 175 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Tulane University of Louisiana make $3,690 more than the typical political science grad.
UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 239 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from University of Georgia make $2,267 more than the standard political science grad.
Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee. This university ranks 2nd out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 483 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the political science program make about $35,760 in their early career salary.
William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. This school ranks 5th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 142 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year. Political Science & Government degree recipients from William & Mary receive an earnings boost of about $3,742 over the average income of political science & government majors.
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.
There were roughly 85 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Emory University receive $9,054 more than the standard political science student.
Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.
There were roughly 133 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent year we have data available. Those political science & government students who get their degree from Wake Forest University make $9,586 more than the typical political science grad.
Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 218 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Political Science & Government degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of about $8,271 over the average earnings of political science & government graduates.
Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were approximately 205 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients usually make about $33,157 at the beginning of their careers.
Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #77 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Washington and Lee is a great university overall.
There were approximately 69 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Washington and Lee in the most recent data year.
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville. This university ranks 2nd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 171 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. After graduation, political science degree recipients generally make around $29,728 in their early careers.
Located in the midsize city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Alabama.
There were about 221 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients generally earn about $32,699 in their early careers.
Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 186 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make around $34,965 in the first couple years of their career.
Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 127 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the political science & government program at James Madison University earn $4,553 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the large suburb of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 101 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career earnings of $33,867.
Louisiana State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Baton Rouge. This university ranks 2nd out of 30 colleges for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.
There were about 161 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at Louisiana State University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make around $30,771 for their early career.
Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.
There were approximately 128 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent data year. After graduation, political science degree recipients usually make about $34,745 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the large suburb of Miami, FIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 13th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 354 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, political science degree recipients generally make around $26,983 in the first five years of their career.
Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 190 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the political science program report average early career wages of $38,321.
Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 373 political science & government students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the political science program make about $35,937 in their early career salary.
Rest of the Top Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region
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 Political Science & Government Schools in the Southeast Region award.
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).
The political science program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Political Science & Government rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for political science & government schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
