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Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region

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2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

56 Colleges
$17,700 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,104 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

Political Science & Government is the #20 most popular major in the country with 49,282 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 56 schools in the Plains States 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Political Science & Government Schools

#1

Park University

Parkville, MO
$8,853 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Park University the best value school in the Plains States Region for political science and government students. Located in the large suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Park University are $8,853 a year.

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#2

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND
$15,037 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Dakota is a great value for political science and government students. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UND undergraduate students pay an average of $15,037 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Political Science & Government at University of North Dakota Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year. On average, political science graduates from South Dakota State take out $24,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Dakota State also is in the top 20% of our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Full Political Science & Government at South Dakota State University Report

$15,940 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Minnesota - Morris helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in the Plains States Region . UMN Morris is a small public school located in the town of Morris.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Morris are $15,940 per year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Minnesota - Morris

#5

Columbia College

Columbia, MO
$11,636 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Columbia, Columbia College Missouri is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia College Missouri are $11,636 per year.

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$15,870 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Fort Hays State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students. Located in the remote town of Hays, FHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FHSU are $15,870 per year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at FHSU take out is $31,000.

Full Political Science & Government at Fort Hays State University Report

$17,564 Average Tuition & Fees

Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU Moorhead are $17,564 per year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Minnesota State University - Moorhead

North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year. While working on their degree, political science majors at North Dakota State University accumulate an average of around $24,880 in student debt.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Dakota State University also did well on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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With a ranking of #9, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Winona State take out is $26,000.

In addition to its great value ranking, Winona State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in the Plains States Region list.

Full Political Science & Government at Winona State University Report

#10

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO
$16,410 Average Tuition & Fees

Truman State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for political science and government students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the remote town of Kirksville, Truman State is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Truman State are $16,410 a year. The average amount in student loans that political science majors at Truman State take out is $26,374.

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

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science and government colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 574
Minnesota 685
Kansas 270
Iowa 406
Nebraska 222
North Dakota 55
South Dakota 71

One of 12 majors within the area of study, political science and government has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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