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

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

95 Colleges
$16,529 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,195 Avg Salary

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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 95 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for political science students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

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

Top 15% Best Political Science & Government Schools

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - River Falls to be the best value school for political science and government students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the town of River Falls.

UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $15,661 in tuition and fees each year.

UW - River Falls excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great value for political science and government students. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. While working on their degree, political science majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

Full Political Science & Government at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#3

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Youngstown State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Youngstown State University are $9,732 per year. Political Science majors at Youngstown State University take out an average of $22,798 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Youngstown State University

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. On average, political science graduates from WIU take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Western Illinois University

$11,880 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Akron Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the Great Lakes Region . University of Akron Main Campus is a large public school located in the midsize city of Akron.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Akron Main Campus are $11,880 per year. Political Science majors at University of Akron Main Campus take out an average of $25,408 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Akron Main Campus

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public college with a large student population.

UW Oshkosh undergraduate students pay an average of $15,306 in tuition and fees each year.

UW Oshkosh also claimed a spot on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $28,344.

UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students. Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 a year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debtload of $23,000.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - La Crosse is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read More…

$14,349 Average Tuition & Fees

Purdue University Northwest ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Hammond.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Purdue Northwest are $14,349 per year.

Full Political Science & Government at Purdue University Northwest Report

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NIU are $14,738 a year. Political Science majors at NIU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Green Bay are $16,091 per year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from UW - Green Bay carry an average student debtload of $24,895.

Read More…

#12

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Central Michigan take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $226, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Political Science & Government at Central Michigan University Report

$18,857 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $18,857 per year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from UIS carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year. On average, political science graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $24,343 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Eau Claire is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
15 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
16 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
17 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
17 Chicago State University Chicago, IL
19 Illinois State University Normal, IL

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 26 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 UKWiki at English Wikipedia.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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