The Best Colleges for Political Science ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. Learn where our data comes from.
| Factor | Description | Source | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Niche Grade | Overall Niche Grade, which incorporates statistics and student surveys regarding all aspects of the student experience, such as academics, value, professors, diversity, local area, campus quality, safety and student life. | Multiple Sources | 36.8% |
| Percent Majoring in Political Science | Percent of undergraduate students at each school who major in Political Science. | U.S. Dept. of Education | 19.1% |
| Political Science Program Demand | A ratio of the number of Niche users interested in the Political Science program compared to the size of the program. | Self-reported by Niche users | 13.5% |
| Political Science Student Surveys | Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding the overall experience of students and alumni who major in Political Science. | Self-reported by Niche users | 10.5% |
| Percent of U.S. Political Science Graduates | Percent of total annual Political Science graduates nationally that come from this program. | U.S. Dept. of Education | 7.7% |
| Political Science Research Expenditures per Student | Total expenditures dedicated to Political Science research per full-time undergraduate student majoring in the field. | National Science Foundation | 7.7% |
| Political Science Research Expenditures | Total expenditures dedicated to research in Political Science. | National Science Foundation | 4.7% |
To be included, the school must confer at least 5 bachelor’s degrees in the field annually or have the major represent at least 20% of all bachelor’s degrees conferred by the school. Statistics obtained from the U.S. Department of Education represent the most recent data available, as self-reported by the colleges. Niche also collects data directly from schools via our school data update form. If you work for a school and would like to update your data, please claim your school.
For more details about how we calculate our rankings, click here.