2023 Most Popular 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 457 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the International Relations & National Security program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular International Relations & National Security Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for international relations majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Most Popular Schools in International Relations & Security
Our 2023 rankings named George Washington University the most popular school in the United States for international relations and national security students. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
On average, international relations graduates from GWU take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $515, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at The American University accumulate an average of around $23,563 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $646.
Full International Relations & National Security at American University Report
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Johns Hopkins University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
International Relations majors at Johns Hopkins take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full International Relations & National Security at Johns Hopkins University Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at Georgetown accumulate an average of around $16,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $690.
Full International Relations & National Security at Georgetown University Report
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Tufts University is a great place for international relations and national security students. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Tufts take out is $16,250.
Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Tufts University
With a ranking of #6, Florida State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, international relations graduates from Florida State take out $19,198 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $173, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Florida International University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
International Relations majors at FIU take out an average of $18,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Georgia landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, international relations graduates from UGA take out $20,426 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $205, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full International Relations & National Security at University of Georgia Report
Boston University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for international relations and national security students. It came in at #9 on the list. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at Boston U accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $682.
George Mason University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.
International Relations majors at GMU take out an average of $22,849 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $322, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on International Relations & National Security at George Mason University
Naval Postgraduate School landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Monterey, Naval Postgraduate School is a public college with a small student population.
Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Naval Postgraduate School
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly 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.
Full International Relations & National Security at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report
Syracuse University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools ranking. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.
On average, international relations graduates from Syracuse take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $479.
Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Syracuse University
University of Southern California ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, international relations graduates from USC take out $14,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $340.
Read full report on International Relations & National Security at University of Southern California
New York University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
With a ranking of #16, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Ohio State take out is $20,071. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $255, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #17, University of Denver did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
International Relations majors at DU take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $652, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full International Relations & National Security at University of Denver Report
University of Chicago landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Full International Relations & National Security at University of Chicago Report
Virginia Tech landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, international relations majors at Virginia Tech accumulate an average of around $24,529 in student debt.
Full International Relations & National Security at Virginia Tech Report
With a ranking of #20, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for international relations and national security students. It came in at #21 on the list. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at UC Davis take out is $13,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $376.
Harvard University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular international relations and national security programs. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
With a ranking of #23, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for international relations and national security students. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that international relations majors at Liberty University take out is $24,625.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for international relations and national security students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population.
International Relations majors at IU Bloomington take out an average of $20,250 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $671.
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full International Relations & National Security at Texas A&M University - College Station Report
Rest of the Top Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 457 different United States international relations and national security schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Virginia Military Institute | Lexington, VA |
| 51 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 51 | Excelsior College | Albany, NY |
| 54 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 55 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 55 | Duke University | Durham, NC |
| 57 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
| 58 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 59 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 60 | Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey | Monterey, CA |
| 60 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 62 | SUNY Geneseo | Geneseo, NY |
| 62 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 64 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 65 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell, MA |
| 65 | United States Military Academy | West Point, NY |
| 65 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
| 68 | Institute of World Politics | Washington, DC |
| 68 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 68 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional popular schools for International Relations & Security students that almost earned our Most Popular International Relations & Security Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 72 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 73 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL |
| 73 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 75 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA |
| 75 | The New School | New York, NY |
| 75 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA |
| 78 | New England College | Henniker, NH |
| 78 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 78 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 78 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| 82 | Carleton College | Northfield, MN |
| 82 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 82 | The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX |
| 82 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 86 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 86 | Colgate University | Hamilton, NY |
| 88 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
| 88 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 88 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 88 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 88 | University of Idaho | Moscow, ID |
International Relations & National Security by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
International Relations & National Security Related Majors
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.
- 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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