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2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools

184 Colleges
$34,387 Avg Salary
$23,175 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

Political Science & Government is the #75 most popular major in the country with 2,664 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 184 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools in the United States

Check out the political science programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools in Political Science & Government

#1

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Our 2023 rankings named Johns Hopkins University the best school in the United States for political science and government students. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Johns Hopkins University

#2

Rice University

Houston, TX

Out of the 184 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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#4

Yale University

New Haven, CT

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for political science and government students. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at Yale University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Teachers College at Columbia University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Full Political Science & Government at Teachers College at Columbia University Report

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Harvard University

#7

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #7 on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

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#8

Brown University

Providence, RI

Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #8 on the list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Brown University

#9

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#10

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at Cornell University Report

#11

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

University of Notre Dame came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#13

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

Princeton University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Princeton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Princeton.

Full Political Science & Government at Princeton University Report

#14

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Pennsylvania Report

#15

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Vanderbilt University

#16

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

With a ranking of #16, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Chicago Report

#17

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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

#18

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Georgetown University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best political science and government programs. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

Full Political Science & Government at Georgetown University Report

With a ranking of #19, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on this year’s best schools for political science and government students. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

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University of California - Berkeley came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

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Claremont Graduate University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for political science and government students. It came in at #21 on the list. Claremont Graduate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

Full Political Science & Government at Claremont Graduate University Report

#22

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.

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Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Political Science & Government Schools ranking. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Full Political Science & Government at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

#24

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech ranked #24 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

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#25

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Political Science & Government Schools list. Boston College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill.

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Rest of the Top Best Political Science & Government Schools

#27

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Political Science & Government students that almost earned our Best Political Science & Government Schools award.

Rank College Location
28 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
29 Emory University Atlanta, GA
30 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
31 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
32 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC
33 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
34 Catholic University of America Washington, DC
35 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
36 New York University New York, NY

Political Science & Government by Region

View the Best Political Science & Government Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 6,173
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907
Anthropology 1,446

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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