41,811
Graduates Per Year
$46K
Average Salary
#14
Most Popular Major
TOP
25
Degree Stats
Popular
41,811
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
1,126
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
13
Marketing
44,258
14
Political Science and Government
41,811
15
Economics
40,355
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Southeast
Florida State University
By State
California
University of California-Berkeley
By Conference
Pacific-12 Conference
University of California-Berkeley
By School
Arizona Western College
If you think life as an associate attorney, government affairs specialist, or regulatory affairs specialist sounds interesting, then a degree in political science and government may just be for you. You could even become the next POTUS!
Political science and government is the 14th most popular degree in America, with 41,811 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #15 Economics, and narrowly lost to #13 Marketing
The degree is offered at a total of 1,126 colleges across the nation, and is the 12th most widely offered degree. Given that political science and government is offered at 89% of the Top 100 Best Collegesin America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that 50% of colleges offering political science and government are public making it a pretty accessible field.
The southeast produces the most political science and government graduates, largely led by Florida State University, while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from University of California-Berkeleyand University of California-Los Angeles.
All that being said, no individual school produces more political science and government graduates than Arizona Western College, which graduated 647 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study political science and government). More students studied political science and government as a percentage of total students at United States Coast Guard Academythan any other college.
We wish you luck on your college search and we hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Political Science and Government list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
We wish you luck finding the right college for you. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Political Science and Government list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
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#1 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of California-Los Angeles is a very large public university located in Los Angeles, CA ranked 33rdin the US. It has a total of 33,703 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 12.32% acceptance rate. University of California-Los Angeles offers 333 different majors and is best known for its psychology, sociology, and political science and government programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Los Angeles is rather high-priced. 80.62% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $60,700 per year, which is 46% over the national median.
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Los Angeles, CA
www.ucla.edu/
A+
Rating
12%
Acceptance
47,103
Students
# 1
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#2 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Georgetown University is a large private university located in Washington, DC ranked 13thin America. It has a total of 8,325 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 14.36% acceptance rate. Georgetown University offers 184 different majors and is best known for its science technology and society, international economics, and political science and government programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,440 per year, Georgetown University is very high-priced. 87.04% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $93,500 per year, which is 125% greater than the national median.
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Washington, DC
www.georgetown.edu
A+
Rating
14%
Acceptance
22,534
Students
# 13
Ranking
$55,440
Tuition
#3 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Harvard University is a very large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 3rdin the United States. It has a total of 14,467 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 4.64% acceptance rate. Harvard University offers 375 different majors and is best known for its history, social sciences, and natural sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $47,730 per year, Harvard University is exceptionally high-priced. 77.7% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $89,700 per year, which is 116% greater than the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
www.harvard.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
41,987
Students
# 3
Ranking
$47,730
Tuition
#4 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Columbia University in the City of New York is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 9thin the United States. It has a total of 8,628 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.45% of applicants. Columbia University in the City of New York offers 467 different majors and is best known for its sustainability studies, art history, and slavic baltic and albanian languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $58,920 per year, Columbia University in the City of New York is exceptionally high-priced. 78.72% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,300 per year, which is 101% above the national median.
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New York, NY
www.columbia.edu
A+
Rating
5%
Acceptance
33,301
Students
# 9
Ranking
$58,920
Tuition
#5 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Yale University is a large private university located in New Haven, CT ranked 4thin America. It has a total of 6,748 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.08% of applicants. Yale University offers 297 different majors and is best known for its american studies, religious studies, and history programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,500 per year, Yale University is extremely expensive. 89.63% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $83,200 per year, which is 100% above the national median.
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New Haven, CT
https://www.yale.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
14,389
Students
# 4
Ranking
$55,500
Tuition
#6 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
George Washington University is a very large private university located in Washington, DC ranked 69thin America. It has a total of 13,428 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 40.84% of applicants. George Washington University offers 462 different majors and is best known for its international relations and affairs, computer and information systems security, and information technology administration and management programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,845 per year, George Washington University is very costly. 75.47% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $69,600 per year, which is 68% above the national median.
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Washington, DC
https://www.gwu.edu
A+
Rating
41%
Acceptance
31,641
Students
# 62
Ranking
$56,845
Tuition
#7 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in Chapel Hill, NC ranked 64thin America. It has a total of 19,957 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, with a 22.63% acceptance rate. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers 232 different majors and is best known for its health and fitness, peace studies and conflict resolution, and environmental science programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $7,019 for in-state students and $34,198 for those from out-of-state, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is somewhat moderately high-priced. 84.25% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,600 per year, which is 34% above the national median.
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Chapel Hill, NC
www.unc.edu
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
32,346
Students
# 5
Ranking
$34,198
Tuition
#8 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of California-Berkeley is a very large public university located in Berkeley, CA ranked 68thin the nation. It has a total of 32,700 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 16.25% of applicants. University of California-Berkeley offers 315 different majors and is best known for its cellular biology and anatomical sciences, natural resources and conservation, and environmental studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Berkeley is rather costly. 58.68% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $64,700 per year, which is 56% over the national median.
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Berkeley, CA
www.berkeley.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
45,183
Students
# 7
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#9 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Princeton University is a mid-sized private university located in Princeton, NJ ranked 5thin America. It has a total of 5,535 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 5.78% of applicants. Princeton University offers 125 different majors and is best known for its ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and classics and classical languages literatures and linguistics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,870 per year, Princeton University is exceptionally high-priced. 88.56% of students graduate moving on to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $74,700 per year, which is 80% greater than the national median.
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Princeton, NJ
www.princeton.edu
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
8,720
Students
# 5
Ranking
$51,870
Tuition
#10 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Dartmouth College is a mid-sized private university located in Hanover, NH ranked 14thin the United States. It has a total of 4,797 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.93% of applicants. Dartmouth College offers 113 different majors and is best known for its engineering science, latin american studies, and native american studies programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,605 per year, Dartmouth College is extremely pricey. 90.38% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $75,500 per year, which is 82% above the national median.
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Hanover, NH
www.dartmouth.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
7,081
Students
# 14
Ranking
$55,605
Tuition
#11 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Notre Dame is a large private university located in Notre Dame, IN ranked 16thin the nation. It has a total of 8,803 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 15.83% of applicants. University of Notre Dame offers 173 different majors and is best known for its pre medical studies, theological and ministerial studies, and italian language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,046 per year, University of Notre Dame is exceptionally expensive. 94.34% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $78,400 per year, which is 89% above the national median.
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Notre Dame, IN
www.nd.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
13,221
Students
# 16
Ranking
$55,046
Tuition
#12 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Duke University is a large private university located in Durham, NC ranked 6thin America. It has a total of 7,338 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 7.6% acceptance rate. Duke University offers 242 different majors and is best known for its public policy analysis, computer engineering, and education programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,880 per year, Duke University is extremely high-priced. 94.41% of students graduate starting the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $84,400 per year, which is 103% over the national median.
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Durham, NC
WWW.DUKE.EDU
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
18,159
Students
# 6
Ranking
$55,880
Tuition
#13 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Pennsylvania is a very large private university located in Philadelphia, PA ranked 8thin the US. It has a total of 14,000 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.66% of applicants. University of Pennsylvania offers 355 different majors and is best known for its finance, management sciences and quantitative methods, and philosophy programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,156 per year, University of Pennsylvania is exceptionally costly. 81.13% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $85,900 per year, which is 107% over the national median.
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Philadelphia, PA
www.upenn.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
29,813
Students
# 8
Ranking
$51,156
Tuition
#14 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Chicago is a large private university located in Chicago, IL ranked 10thin the nation. It has a total of 7,674 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, with a 6.17% acceptance rate. University of Chicago offers 218 different majors and is best known for its econometrics and quantitative economics, economics, and counseling psychology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $57,642 per year, University of Chicago is exceptionally expensive. 79.52% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $68,100 per year, which is 64% greater than the national median.
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Chicago, IL
WWW.UCHICAGO.EDU
A+
Rating
6%
Acceptance
19,659
Students
# 10
Ranking
$57,642
Tuition
#15 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Bowdoin College is a small private liberal arts college located in Brunswick, ME ranked 34thin America. It has a total of 1,969 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 9.05% of applicants. Bowdoin College offers 44 different majors and is best known for its african studies, asian studies, and french studies programs (nationally ranked 3rd, 4th, and 4th respectively). With a tuition cost of $55,822 per year, Bowdoin College is extremely costly. 91.8% of students graduate beginning the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,500 per year, which is 58% above the national median.
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Brunswick, ME
https://www.bowdoin.edu/
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
1,969
Students
# 33
Ranking
$55,822
Tuition
#16 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Stanford University is a large private university located in Stanford, CA ranked 2ndin America. It has a total of 8,290 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 4.34% of applicants. Stanford University offers 227 different majors and is best known for its human biology, industrial management, and earth sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $52,857 per year, Stanford University is very high-priced. 89.2% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $94,000 per year, which is 126% over the national median.
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Stanford, CA
www.stanford.edu/
A+
Rating
4%
Acceptance
20,993
Students
# 2
Ranking
$52,857
Tuition
#17 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
New York University is a very large private university located in New York, NY ranked 25thin the nation. It has a total of 29,902 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting more or less 1 in 6 applicants. New York University offers 564 different majors and is best known for its drama, radio television and digital communication, and management information systems programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $50,684 per year, New York University is very pricey. 73.93% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,900 per year, which is 49% greater than the national median.
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New York, NY
www.nyu.edu
A+
Rating
16%
Acceptance
58,091
Students
# 25
Ranking
$50,684
Tuition
#18 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Cornell University is a very large private university located in Ithaca, NY ranked 11thin the United States. It has a total of 15,464 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 10.85% acceptance rate. Cornell University offers 323 different majors and is best known for its human resources, agricultural business and management, and agriculture programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $56,550 per year, Cornell University is exceptionally pricey. 89.35% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $77,200 per year, which is 86% above the national median.
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Ithaca, NY
www.cornell.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
24,189
Students
# 11
Ranking
$56,550
Tuition
#19 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of California-San Diego is a very large public university located in La Jolla, CA ranked 66thin America. It has a total of 31,840 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting 31.48% of applicants. University of California-San Diego offers 228 different majors and is best known for its biological and biomedical sciences, global studies, and cognitive science programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-San Diego is rather high-priced. 78.44% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $59,900 per year, which is 44% above the national median.
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La Jolla, CA
www.ucsd.edu
A+
Rating
31%
Acceptance
39,811
Students
# 6
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#20 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a very large public university located in Ann Arbor, MI ranked 37thin the US. It has a total of 31,206 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 22.91% of applicants. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers 433 different majors and is best known for its experimental psychology, data modeling and database administration, and german language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $15,230 for students from Michigan and $50,872 for those from out-of-state, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is extremely expensive. 86.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, joining the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $63,400 per year, which is 53% above the national median.
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Ann Arbor, MI
https://umich.edu/
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
48,218
Students
# 2
Ranking
$50,872
Tuition
#21 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Johns Hopkins University is a very large private university located in Baltimore, MD ranked 7thin the nation. It has a total of 8,185 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 11.17% of applicants. Johns Hopkins University offers 362 different majors and is best known for its public health, neuroscience, and biophysics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $55,350 per year, Johns Hopkins University is extremely costly. 83.58% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $73,200 per year, which is 76% above the national median.
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Baltimore, MD
www.jhu.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
33,543
Students
# 7
Ranking
$55,350
Tuition
#22 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Northwestern University is a very large private university located in Evanston, IL ranked 18thin America. It has a total of 9,906 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting a bit under 10% of applicants. Northwestern University offers 406 different majors and is best known for its manufacturing engineering, journalism, and drama programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,232 per year, Northwestern University is exceptionally pricey. 76.5% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $69,000 per year, which is 66% over the national median.
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Evanston, IL
www.northwestern.edu
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
25,614
Students
# 18
Ranking
$56,232
Tuition
#23 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Florida is a very large public university located in Gainesville, FL ranked 78thin the United States. It has a total of 38,645 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting 36.58% of applicants. University of Florida offers 433 different majors and is best known for its exercise physiology, microbiological sciences and immunology, and family and community services programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $4,477 for students from Florida and $25,694 for those from out-of-state, University of Florida is reasonably costly. 85.38% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,000 per year, which is 35% over the national median.
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Gainesville, FL
www.ufl.edu/
A+
Rating
37%
Acceptance
58,749
Students
# 8
Ranking
$25,694
Tuition
#24 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
University of Maryland-College Park is a very large public university located in College Park, MD ranked 100thin America. It has a total of 33,022 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 44.18% acceptance rate. University of Maryland-College Park offers 432 different majors and is best known for its criminology, preschool education and teaching, and family and community services programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $8,824 for in-state students and $34,936 for those from out-of-state, University of Maryland-College Park is reasonably costly. 75.08% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $62,900 per year, which is 51% greater than the national median.
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College Park, MD
www.umd.edu
A
Rating
44%
Acceptance
44,486
Students
# 13
Ranking
$34,936
Tuition
#25 Best Colleges for Political Science and Government
Davidson College is a small private liberal arts college located in Davidson, NC ranked 47thin America. It has a total of 2,006 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 18.05% of applicants. Davidson College offers 28 different majors and is best known for its african studies, latin american studies, and political science and government programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 6th, and 25th respectively). With a tuition cost of $52,466 per year, Davidson College is exceptionally expensive. 83.95% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,900 per year, which is 42% above the national median.
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Davidson, NC
https://www.davidson.edu/
A+
Rating
18%
Acceptance
2,006
Students
# 44
Ranking
$52,466
Tuition