Best Political Science Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

521 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Political Science, ranked by DegreeOutlook 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.

What do Political Science graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why an Online School for Military Students Tops the List

American Public University System’s #1 rank is driven by its unique student body: active-duty military and veterans. These students often leverage GI Bill benefits, drastically lowering their net tuition and inflating their ROI to an impressive 24.9x. The curriculum is tailored for careers in federal agencies and defense contracting—a direct pipeline for a student population already embedded in the government ecosystem, which explains the high early-career earnings of $56,763/yr.

The Ivy League ROI Trap: Why Utah Valley Beats Yale

While names like Yale (#9) and Penn (#11) appear in the top 20, their return on investment is shockingly low (3.8x and 3.2x, respectively) due to astronomical tuition. In contrast, Utah Valley University (#12) delivers a massive 30.3x ROI. UVU achieves this by providing an affordable pathway ($25,080 total tuition) directly into state and local government jobs in Utah's booming economy, proving that regional value can easily outperform national prestige for this major.

Public Universities: The Smart Money in Political Science

Public universities dominate this list (14 of the top 20) for one simple reason: they deliver superior financial outcomes. California's state schools, like CSU East Bay (#4) and San Francisco State (#20), offer strong regional job placement with a fraction of the debt, leading to ROIs over 20x. They prove that for a political science degree, a high-cost private school diploma is often a poor financial investment compared to a degree from a quality state university.

AI Won't Steal Your Job, It Will Change It

The 56% AI task exposure across all programs signals a fundamental shift, not an existential threat. AI is automating routine research—like data collection and literature summaries—which has been the traditional work of junior analysts. For graduates, your value is no longer in finding information, but in designing research questions, interpreting AI-generated outputs, and developing policy strategy based on complex findings. Your degree is becoming less about data gathering and more about strategic thinking.

Programs Ranked
521
Avg Earnings
$36,685/yr
Avg DW Score
46/100
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.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 American Public University System
Charles Town, WV · Private for-profit
74
69–75
$56,763/yr 24.9x
2 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD · Public
72
67–73
$62,476/yr 21.0x
3 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private nonprofit
70
65–71
$47,020/yr 29.5x
4 California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
65
61–66
$40,460/yr 26.3x
5 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
64
60–65
$42,688/yr 16.3x
6 Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit
64
59–65
$61,543/yr 4.0x
7 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
63
60–63
$37,003/yr 19.4x
8 University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public
63
58–64
$45,418/yr 12.1x
9 Yale University
New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit
63
58–64
$57,466/yr 3.8x
10 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public
63
59–64
$41,200/yr 18.8x
11 University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit
63
58–64
$65,473/yr 3.2x
12 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Public
63
60–63
$36,857/yr 30.3x
13 George Mason University
Fairfax, VA · Public
63
58–64
$45,846/yr 12.5x
14 California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public
62
57–63
$41,893/yr 18.4x
15 Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH · Private nonprofit
62
58–63
$72,618/yr 2.8x
16 The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
62
58–63
$43,281/yr 14.2x
17 Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public
62
58–62
$39,708/yr 17.2x
18 Troy University
Troy, AL · Public
61
56–62
$46,279/yr 14.3x
19 San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
61
58–62
$38,060/yr 20.4x
20 San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
61
58–61
$36,502/yr 23.4x
21 CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY · Public
61
57–62
$43,059/yr 18.8x
22 Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, SC · Public
61
56–62
$44,992/yr 12.3x
23 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT · Public
61
57–62
$45,112/yr 15.2x
24 University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA · Public
61
56–62
$45,875/yr 9.1x
25 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
61
57–62
$42,063/yr 14.3x
26 Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public
60
56–61
$42,481/yr 13.2x
27 University of the District of Columbia
Washington, DC · Public
60
55–61
$49,935/yr 19.3x
28 Princeton University
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit
60
55–61
$63,317/yr 2.9x
29 Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY · Public
60
57–60
$36,480/yr 17.4x
30 Ohio University-Eastern Campus
Saint Clairsville, OH · Public
60
57–61
$38,753/yr 23.4x
31 Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus
Chillicothe, OH · Public
60
57–61
$38,753/yr 23.4x
32 Ohio University-Southern Campus
Ironton, OH · Public
60
57–61
$38,753/yr 23.4x
33 Ohio University-Lancaster Campus
Lancaster, OH · Public
60
57–61
$38,753/yr 23.4x
34 Ohio University-Zanesville Campus
Zanesville, OH · Public
60
57–61
$38,753/yr 23.4x
35 University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA · Public
60
56–60
$37,227/yr 29.2x
36 California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
59
56–59
$36,189/yr 20.9x
37 Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
59
57–60
$34,745/yr 29.9x
38 Towson University
Towson, MD · Public
59
55–60
$42,648/yr 13.2x
39 Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, MO · Public
59
56–60
$37,944/yr 17.6x
40 Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofit
59
54–60
$61,077/yr 2.6x
41 Binghamton University
Vestal, NY · Public
59
56–59
$37,194/yr 16.1x
42 Duke University
Durham, NC · Private nonprofit
59
54–60
$54,970/yr 2.9x
43 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
59
55–59
$38,321/yr 17.1x
44 James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
59
54–59
$42,128/yr 11.6x
45 University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA · Public
59
55–60
$41,246/yr 12.5x
46 University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public
59
56–60
$39,869/yr 19.9x
47 University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell, WA · Public
59
55–60
$41,246/yr 12.6x
48 University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Tacoma, WA · Public
59
54–59
$41,246/yr 12.3x
49 Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL · Public
59
57–60
$35,578/yr 26.2x
50 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO · Public
58
55–59
$40,272/yr 14.7x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Political Science?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, American Public University System ranks #1 for Political Science with a score of 74/100 and graduate earnings of $56,763/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.

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