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Best Schools for Political Science in 2026

521 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Political Science, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Political Science graduate earns $36,685/yr across 521 schools.

Programs Ranked
521
Avg Earnings
$36,685/yr
Avg DW Score
56/100
AI Risk
Very High
56% task exposure

All Political Science Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# Program DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 Political Science
University of Maryland Global Campus · Adelphi, MD 		80
75–82 		$62,476/yr Very High 21.0x
2 Political Science
American Public University System · Charles Town, WV 		79
73–82 		$56,763/yr Very High 24.9x
3 Political Science
Brigham Young University · Provo, UT 		77
70–80 		$47,020/yr Very High 29.5x
4 Political Science
University of the District of Columbia · Washington, DC 		77
72–79 		$49,935/yr Very High 19.3x
5 Political Science
California State University-East Bay · Hayward, CA 		72
65–76 		$40,460/yr Very High 26.3x
6 Political Science
CUNY Lehman College · Bronx, NY 		72
66–75 		$43,059/yr Very High 18.8x
7 Political Science
Troy University · Troy, AL 		71
66–73 		$46,279/yr Very High 14.3x
8 Political Science
California State University-Chico · Chico, CA 		71
65–74 		$41,893/yr Very High 18.4x
9 Political Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC 		70
62–74 		$41,200/yr Very High 18.8x
10 Political Science
Ohio University-Eastern Campus · Saint Clairsville, OH 		70
64–74 		$38,753/yr Very High 23.4x
11 Political Science
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus · Chillicothe, OH 		70
64–74 		$38,753/yr Very High 23.4x
12 Political Science
Ohio University-Southern Campus · Ironton, OH 		70
64–74 		$38,753/yr Very High 23.4x
13 Political Science
Ohio University-Lancaster Campus · Lancaster, OH 		70
64–74 		$38,753/yr Very High 23.4x
14 Political Science
Ohio University-Zanesville Campus · Zanesville, OH 		70
64–74 		$38,753/yr Very High 23.4x
15 Political Science
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT 		71
66–73 		$45,112/yr Very High 15.2x
16 Political Science
University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY 		70
64–73 		$39,869/yr Very High 19.9x
17 Political Science
University of North Georgia · Dahlonega, GA 		71
64–74 		$37,227/yr Very High 29.2x
18 Political Science
University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD 		68
60–74 		$42,688/yr Very High 16.3x
19 Political Science
Utah Valley University · Orem, UT 		70
62–74 		$36,857/yr Very High 30.3x
20 Political Science
San Diego State University · San Diego, CA 		68
60–73 		$38,060/yr Very High 20.4x
21 Political Science
San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA 		68
60–73 		$36,502/yr Very High 23.4x
22 Political Science
Florida State University · Tallahassee, FL 		68
61–72 		$34,745/yr Very High 29.9x
23 Political Science
University of North Florida · Jacksonville, FL 		69
63–71 		$37,841/yr Very High 19.1x
24 Political Science
North Carolina A & T State University · Greensboro, NC 		71
67–72 		$42,310/yr Very High 14.7x
25 Political Science
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX 		67
60–72 		$43,281/yr Very High 14.2x
26 Political Science
George Mason University · Fairfax, VA 		67
60–72 		$45,846/yr Very High 12.5x
27 Political Science
Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN 		67
59–73 		$39,708/yr Very High 17.2x
28 Political Science
Florida Gulf Coast University · Fort Myers, FL 		68
61–72 		$35,578/yr Very High 26.2x
29 Political Science
Kennesaw State University · Kennesaw, GA 		69
63–72 		$36,794/yr Very High 22.1x
30 Political Science
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA 		65
55–73 		$37,003/yr Very High 19.4x
31 Political Science
California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA 		67
59–72 		$36,189/yr Very High 20.9x
32 Political Science
University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA 		66
59–72 		$45,418/yr Very High 12.1x
33 Political Science
University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL 		67
61–71 		$35,937/yr Very High 21.2x
34 Political Science
University of South Florida · Tampa, FL 		67
60–71 		$34,965/yr Very High 21.9x
35 Political Science
Ashford University · San Diego, CA 		71
67–71 		$55,196/yr Very High 9.4x
36 Political Science
Missouri State University-Springfield · Springfield, MO 		66
59–72 		$37,944/yr Very High 17.6x
37 Political Science
CUNY Hunter College · New York, NY 		66
58–71 		$35,154/yr Very High 21.5x
38 Political Science
North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC 		66
60–71 		$38,321/yr Very High 17.1x
39 Political Science
Citadel Military College of South Carolina · Charleston, SC 		67
61–71 		$44,992/yr Very High 12.3x
40 Political Science
Central Washington University · Ellensburg, WA 		66
60–71 		$39,220/yr Very High 15.7x
41 Political Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI 		67
60–72 		$42,063/yr Very High 14.3x
42 Political Science
Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ 		66
59–71 		$42,481/yr Very High 13.2x
43 Political Science
Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA 		70
66–71 		$43,547/yr Very High 12.3x
44 Political Science
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · Denver, CO 		66
60–71 		$40,272/yr Very High 14.7x
45 Political Science
Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID 		67
61–71 		$32,983/yr Very High 31.9x
46 Political Science
Towson University · Towson, MD 		66
60–70 		$42,648/yr Very High 13.2x
47 Political Science
Bridgewater State University · Bridgewater, MA 		66
60–69 		$42,476/yr Very High 12.6x
48 Political Science
The University of Montana · Missoula, MT 		67
60–70 		$38,094/yr Very High 16.6x
49 Political Science
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice · New York, NY 		66
59–71 		$35,828/yr Very High 19.0x
50 Political Science
CUNY Queens College · Queens, NY 		65
58–71 		$34,863/yr Very High 20.1x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Political Science?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, University of Maryland Global Campus ranks #1 for Political Science with a score of 80/100 and graduate earnings of $62,476/yr.
How much do Political Science graduates earn?
Across 521 schools, Political Science graduates earn an average of $36,685/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $72,618/yr.
Is Political Science a good major for AI resistance?
Political Science has an average AI task exposure of 56%, rated "Very High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.