2023 Best International Relations & Security Schools
Finding the Best International Relations & National Security School for You
In 2020-2021, 14,306 people earned a degree or certificate in international relations and national security, making the major the #66 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 269 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for international relations majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in International Relations & Security
Our 2023 rankings named Claremont McKenna College the best school in the United States for international relations and national security students. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Claremont McKenna is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Claremont McKenna take out is $15,500.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Rice University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.
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The excellent programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best international relations and national security schools in the United States. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
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The excellent programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best international relations and national security schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Harvard University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
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Johns Hopkins University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Johns Hopkins take out is $19,000.
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Yale University ranked #7 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.
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With a ranking of #8, Pomona College did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. Pomona is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.
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Carnegie Mellon University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at UPenn accumulate an average of around $13,225 in student debt.
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Colgate University ranked #11 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools list. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hamilton.
International Relations majors at Colgate take out an average of $10,080 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #12, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Northwestern take out is $15,450.
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With a ranking of #13, Georgetown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
International Relations majors at Georgetown take out an average of $16,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $690.
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With a ranking of #14, Lafayette College did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at University of Virginia take out is $19,977. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $236.
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Tufts University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
On average, international relations graduates from Tufts take out $16,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Bucknell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for international relations and national security students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Carleton College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Northfield, Carleton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at Carleton accumulate an average of around $18,715 in student debt.
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Institute of World Politics came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the city of Washington, Institute of World Politics is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Denison University ranked #20 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the suburb of Granville, Denison is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #21, Brown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the medium-sized city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, international relations graduates from Brown carry an average student debtload of $15,000.
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University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for international relations and national security students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, international relations graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $14,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $340.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best international relations and national security programs. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.
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Hamilton College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Clinton, Hamilton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, international relations graduates from Hamilton take out $14,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Wellesley College ranked #25 on this year’s Best International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the suburb of Wellesley, Wellesley is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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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 International Relations & Security Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 42 | Mount St Mary’s University | Emmitsburg, MD |
| 43 | Virginia Military Institute | Lexington, VA |
| 44 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 45 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 46 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 47 | Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA |
| 48 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 49 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 50 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 51 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 52 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 53 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
International Relations & National Security by Region
View the Best International Relations & Security Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More International Relations & National Security Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to International Relations
One of 12 majors within the area of study, international relations and national security has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to International Relations
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 RepubFan12.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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