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Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

28 Colleges
$29,334 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,042 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,470 degrees and certificates were awarded to political science and government students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #27 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 28 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for political science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Political Science & Government Schools

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Springfield the best value school in Illinois for political science and government students. Located in the city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

UIS undergraduate students pay an average of $12,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Political Science majors at UIS take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $22,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $317, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 10% of our Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois ranking.

Full Political Science & Government at Illinois State University Report

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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great value for political science and government students. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at UIUC take out is $19,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $317, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

UIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list.

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#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $12,297 per year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at EIU take out is $24,993.

Full Political Science & Government at Eastern Illinois University Report

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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 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 school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. On average, political science graduates from SIUE take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Illinois University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value political science and government programs. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, political science graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for political science and government students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. While working on their degree, political science majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $15,187 in student debt.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at NIU take out is $26,000.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for political science and government students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $15,603 per year. While working on their degree, political science majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $22,625 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $234.

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#10

Chicago State University

Chicago, IL
$11,204 Average Tuition & Fees

Chicago State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois ranking. CSU is a small public school located in the city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSU are $11,204 a year.

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

Explore all the Best Value Political Science & Government Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

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

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

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.

  • 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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