Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Political Science and Government

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 521

Avg grad salary: $51,117

Total graduates: 34,951

Top Colleges for Political Science and Government — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	Yale University New Haven, CT	$98,467	$57,466	93	$15,000	4.5%
2	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	$89,043	$61,543	70	N/A	3.5%
3	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	$86,353	$65,473	89	$14,722	5.9%
4	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	$85,816	$56,064	45	$16,250	11.9%
5	Duke University Durham, NC	$84,950	$54,970	57	$14,016	6.8%
6	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	$84,898	$72,618	134	$17,500	6.2%
7	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	$80,009	$40,449	17	N/A	6.9%
8	Williams College Williamstown, MA	$79,779	$56,817	48	$10,750	10.0%
9	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	$79,400	$52,160	24	$20,500	61.2%
10	Columbia University New York, NY	$79,220	$61,077	187	$22,943	4.2%
11	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	$78,986	$56,022	48	$18,500	4.8%
12	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	$75,918	$53,632	18	$21,150	29.3%
13	Stanford University Stanford, CA	$75,464	$59,297	23	$12,000	3.9%
14	Georgetown University Washington, DC	$74,225	$55,247	193	$16,500	13.1%
15	American Public University System Charles Town, WV	$73,582	$56,763	34	$18,304	N/A
16	George Washington University Washington, DC	$72,844	$51,537	223	$23,000	43.5%
17	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	$72,701	$46,843	57	$12,000	6.3%
18	Brown University Providence, RI	$72,438	$54,634	50	$14,481	5.2%
19	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	$72,438	$60,292	113	$14,400	8.2%
20	Villanova University Villanova, PA	$72,272	$46,549	81	$25,620	25.1%
21	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	$71,957	$37,921	46	$21,000	35.9%
22	Lafayette College Easton, PA	$71,924	$48,112	49	$13,640	31.5%
23	Cal Poly SLO San Luis Obispo, CA	$71,231	$37,003	53	$17,665	29.8%
24	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	$71,052	$54,737	76	$16,834	7.1%
25	Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC	$70,723	$47,161	61	$23,133	21.6%
26	Rice University Houston, TX	$70,513	$54,728	18	N/A	7.9%
27	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	$69,934	$58,807	24	$12,500	11.8%
28	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	$69,853	$53,012	43	$26,000	32.0%
29	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	$69,589	$36,857	40	$21,413	N/A
30	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME	$69,008	$60,626	50	$19,634	8.0%
31	Bradley University Peoria, IL	$68,838	$31,902	19	$27,000	76.7%
32	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	$68,814	$55,316	88	$19,000	12.4%
33	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA	$68,772	$47,029	93	$27,000	21.1%
34	Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, CA	$68,762	$45,296	20	$25,967	88.6%
35	NYU New York, NY	$68,518	$50,783	93	$20,500	9.4%
36	Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	$68,168	$42,306	29	$23,625	49.9%
37	University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA	$67,976	$45,875	70	$18,015	16.9%
38	Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA	$67,973	$25,058	19	$26,950	64.0%
39	University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD	$67,609	$62,476	51	$17,600	N/A
40	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	$67,496	$47,020	98	$11,745	69.2%
41	University of Maryland College Park, MD	$67,120	$42,688	224	$18,768	44.8%
42	Middlebury College Middlebury, VT	$67,080	$59,026	34	$19,500	10.4%
43	Elon University Elon, NC	$67,059	$38,836	33	$20,500	67.3%
44	Connecticut College New London, CT	$67,040	$46,588	47	$24,800	38.3%
45	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	$66,454	$43,322	83	$27,000	47.5%
46	Bryant University Smithfield, RI	$66,316	$41,112	23	$23,250	65.6%
47	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA	$65,958	$50,214	58	$12,500	13.9%
48	Tufts University Medford, MA	$65,957	$67,713	50	$17,725	10.1%
49	Fairfield University Fairfield, CT	$65,857	$38,426	24	$27,000	45.0%
50	University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI	$65,311	$39,702	284	$18,862	17.9%
51	Union College Schenectady, NY	$65,270	$49,759	34	$26,899	43.8%
52	Fordham University Bronx, NY	$65,198	$41,809	116	$24,575	56.3%
53	Northeastern University Boston, MA	$65,006	$52,516	136	$22,579	9.9%
54	Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA	$65,006	$52,516	136	$22,579	N/A
55	The University of the South Sewanee, TN	$65,002	$31,831	26	$24,267	50.9%
56	University of San Diego San Diego, CA	$64,626	$33,040	55	$26,000	46.8%
57	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	$64,616	$57,111	31	$21,750	43.8%
58	Chapman University Orange, CA	$64,529	$35,124	52	$20,741	55.6%
59	Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA	$64,526	$42,114	153	$24,250	57.0%
60	Radford University Radford, VA	$64,410	$27,136	32	$23,235	90.6%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Political Science and Government Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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