2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools
Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You
In 2020-2021, 49,282 people earned a degree or certificate in political science and government, making the major the #20 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. This report analyzed 664 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for political science majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Political Science & Government
Our analysis found Claremont McKenna College to be the best school for political science and government students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.
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The excellent programs at Bowdoin College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the United States. Located in the town of Brunswick, Bowdoin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, political science graduates from Bowdoin take out $19,247 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $450, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Dartmouth College is a great place for political science and government students. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Dartmouth take out is $17,033. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $703.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Rice University is a great place for political science and government students. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
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The excellent programs at Williams College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the United States. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Williamstown.
The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Williams take out is $12,491.
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The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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Johns Hopkins University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.
On average, political science graduates from Johns Hopkins take out $10,982 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Teachers College at Columbia University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
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Bates College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Bates is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lewiston.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Bates carry an average student debtload of $10,835.
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Yale University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Yale take out is $13,535.
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With a ranking of #11, Washington and Lee University did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Lexington.
On average, political science graduates from Washington and Lee take out $25,580 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Cornell University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $15,250. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $851.
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Pomona College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the large suburb of Claremont, Pomona is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Brown University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Brown is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Providence.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Brown carry an average student debtload of $17,875.
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With a ranking of #15, Wake Forest University did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Wake Forest University carry an average student debtload of $20,489.
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University of Notre Dame did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, political science graduates from Notre Dame take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $376.
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With a ranking of #17, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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Bucknell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #18 on the list. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Lewisburg.
Political Science majors at Bucknell take out an average of $26,490 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Stanford University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.
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Duke University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Duke carry an average student debtload of $11,500.
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Amherst College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Amherst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Amherst.
After completing their degree, political science graduates from Amherst carry an average student debtload of $12,306.
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University of Pennsylvania ranked #22 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Political Science majors at UPenn take out an average of $12,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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DePauw University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, political science graduates from DePauw take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Northwestern University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Northwestern take out is $18,500.
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Vanderbilt University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Political Science majors at Vanderbilt take out an average of $8,469 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt University Report
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Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Political Science & Government Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 664 different United States political science and government schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Schools award.
Political Science & Government by Region
View the Best Political Science & Government Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Political Science & Government Rankings
Political Science & Government Related Rankings by Major
One of 12 majors within the area of study, political science and government has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| 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 UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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