Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$25,563 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,042 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Political Science & Government School for You

In 2020-2021, 156 degrees and certificates were awarded to political science and government students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #63 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Illinois 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois

Check out the political science programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Political Science & Government Schools

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for political science and government students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year.

Illinois State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list.

Full Political Science & Government at Illinois State University Report

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 11 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIS are $12,053 per year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Springfield

$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Northeastern Illinois University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,064 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Political Science & Government at Northeastern Illinois University Report

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Western Illinois University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best political science and government schools in Illinois. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.

Full Political Science & Government at Western Illinois University Report

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Illinois University is a great value for political science and government students. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EIU are $12,297 a year.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Eastern Illinois University

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern 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 #6 on the 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.

Full Political Science & Government at Northern Illinois University Report

$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value political science and government programs. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Champaign.

UIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $17,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois rankings.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value political science and government programs. 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.

Full Political Science & Government at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

$47,808 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s best value schools for political science and government students. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Loyola Chicago undergraduate students pay an average of $47,808 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern 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. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern also made our Best Political Science & Government Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Political Science & Government at Northwestern University

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 53
Ohio 59
Indiana 48
Wisconsin 40

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

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 11 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.