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Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region

95 Colleges
$33,195 Avg Salary
$24,420 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, political science and government was ranked #20 in the country. In fact 49,282 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

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 in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 95 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Political Science & Government Colleges.

Top 15% Best Political Science & Government Schools

#1

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Our analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for political science and government students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

After completing their degree, political science graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $19,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $376, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

The excellent programs at DePauw University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the Great Lakes Region . DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Greencastle.

After completing their degree, political science graduates from DePauw carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for political science and government students. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

While working on their degree, political science majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $18,500 in student debt.

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#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, political science graduates from UChicago take out $13,632 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#5

Denison University

Granville, OH

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Denison University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small suburb of Granville, Denison is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#6

Kenyon College

Gambier, OH

Kenyon College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#7

Wabash College

Crawfordsville, IN

With a ranking of #7, Wabash College did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. Located in the town of Crawfordsville, Wabash is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, political science graduates from Wabash carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #8 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

After completing their degree, political science graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $18,179. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $430.

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#9

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH

Oberlin College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Oberlin take out is $24,328.

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#10

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lake Forest.

The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Lake Forest take out is $27,000.

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#11

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, IL

With a ranking of #11, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #12 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

On average, political science graduates from UW - Madison take out $21,655 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $317.

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#13

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

On average, political science graduates from Marquette take out $23,976 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $382, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
15 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
16 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
17 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
18 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
19 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science and government schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,044
Ohio 1,433
Illinois 1,470
Indiana 798
Wisconsin 925

Political Science & Government is one of 12 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Political Science

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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