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Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region

188 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 Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 188 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Political Science & Government program at each school on the list.

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

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Madison to be the most popular school for political science and government students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

While working on their degree, political science majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $21,655 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $317.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.

Political Science majors at U-M take out an average of $18,179 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $430.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ohio State University - Main Campus is a great place for political science and government students. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Columbus.

Political Science majors at Ohio State take out an average of $23,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $317.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for political science and government students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

While working on their degree, political science majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $317.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#5

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

The excellent programs at University of Notre Dame 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 . Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

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

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Miami University - Oxford did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #6 on the list. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the fringe town of Oxford.

While working on their degree, political science majors at Miami University - Oxford accumulate an average of around $24,742 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $544, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Political Science & Government at Miami University - Oxford Report

#7

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

With a ranking of #7, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for political science and government students. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Political Science majors at Michigan State take out an average of $24,776 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $342.

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Loyola University Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, political science majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $23,672 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $529.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Loyola University Chicago

With a ranking of #9, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for political science and government students. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, political science graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debt load of $21,343. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $260.

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#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #10 on the list. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

Political Science majors at Northwestern take out an average of $18,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#11

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that political science majors at UChicago take out is $13,632.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Chicago

#12

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

With a ranking of #12, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for political science and government students. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.

On average, political science graduates from Purdue take out $19,574 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Political Science & Government at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #13 on the list. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Athens.

The average amount in student loans that political science majors at OHIO Athens take out is $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $334, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Ohio University - Athens Campus

#14

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Political Science majors at Marquette take out an average of $23,976 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $382, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Political Science & Government at Marquette University Report

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Political Science majors at DePaul take out an average of $24,500 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $419, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at DePaul University

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that political science majors at UIC take out is $22,625. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $234.

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University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public college with a very large student population.

Political Science majors at UC take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, political science majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

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University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #19 on the list. UWM is a very large public school located in the large city of Milwaukee.

On average, political science graduates from UWM take out $25,576 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#20

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI

With a ranking of #20, Wayne State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for political science and government students. Located in the large city of Detroit, Wayne State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, political science graduates from Wayne State take out $24,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

Illinois State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, political science majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $22,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $317.

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Kent State University at Kent landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. Located in the large suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Political Science majors at Kent State take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $350.

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

#23

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI

Western Michigan University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. Located in the city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, political science majors at WMU accumulate an average of around $27,229 in student debt.

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Grand Valley State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for political science and government students. It came in at #23 on the list. GVSU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Allendale.

On average, political science graduates from GVSU take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $263.

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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular political science and government programs. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, political science majors at UW - La Crosse accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Report

#28

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Political Science & Government Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
29 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI
30 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
31 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
32 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
33 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
34 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
35 The College of Wooster Wooster, OH
35 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
37 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL

Best Political Science & Government Colleges by State

Explore the best political science and government colleges 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.

  • 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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