The Best Colleges for Political Science in Washington of 2023-2024

Interested in political science? Washington state has some great colleges for political science to pursue a degree in.

The Best Colleges for Political Science in Washington of 2023-2024

Political science is a popular major among college students these days, but many prospective degree-earners in political science don’t realize the professional career paths they can use this major for. Political science majors often go off into legal careers, public relations careers, marketing, and many other directions you might not equate with majoring in political science.

But, first off, let’s focus on majoring in political science and then becoming a professional political scientist. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), the average annual pay for a political scientist is $120,430. That’s more than double the average annual wage for all occupations in general, $58,260. Moreover, another solid professional route to take with this major is to become a college political scientist professor (or political science teacher, postsecondary, as termed by the BLS). The average annual wage for a college political scientist professor is $98,980, which is also well above the average pay for all occupations combined. So, pursuing a major in political science can be both very interesting academically and remunerative.

But what do political scientists do? Political scientists study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. Political science thus has a history component and a current affairs component to it. And, in more good news for potential political science majors, employment of political scientists is projected to grow by 6% over the 10 years from 2021 to 2031, according to the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). And, of course, just because you majored in political science does not mean you have to become a professional political scientist. You can translate the knowledge you gained in your political science studies into a career as a public relations specialist or manager, paralegal or lawyer, policy researcher, market researcher, or a lobbyist, among many other professional fields.

Considering its popularity as a major and the interesting array of professional fields it can apply to, we decided to investigate the best colleges for political science. For our study here, BrokeScholar is focusing on identifying the best colleges for political science in Washington. We analyzed 89 colleges in Washington state, including both public institutions and private, not-for-profit institutions, but not-for-profit institutions. Using data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), we constructed a list of the best colleges for political science in Washington for the academic year 2023-2024. (See the methodology section for details).

Read on to find out the best colleges for political science degrees in Washington.

Best Colleges for Political Science in Washington 

For our political science degree study, we analyzed all the four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Washington in terms of a variety of factors. These included the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in Political Science and Government, General; and Political Science and Government, Other (terminology provided by the NCES), graduation rates, estimated annual cost of tuition and required fees. Another critical factor was the proportion of degrees in political science compared to the student population, so that smaller private colleges could rank as well and not get pushed out by the sheer quantity of political science degrees awarded by larger public colleges.

In terms of the level of degrees awarded in political science, half of the top 10 best colleges for political science in Washington offer it mainly on the bachelor’s degree level. Usually, it was public colleges that offered degrees in political science higher than a bachelor’s. The main reason for public colleges offering political science degrees on the graduate level is that large, public research universities (aka big state schools, like Washington State University) have the numbers, resources, and funding to sustain vaster economies of scale than private colleges. This allows large public, research colleges to fund not just political science departments, but entire schools of political science, which often can provide tailored master’s and doctoral programs in the field. 

Fortunately, Washington state also has a number of private colleges that ranked among the best colleges for political science. In the top-10 list of our choices of the best colleges for political science in Washington, the majority of schools are private, not-for-profit ones.

Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the top 10 best colleges for political science in Washington, including how much they cost to attend, their graduation rates, and more.

Eastern Washington University

Type: 4-year, public institution

Graduation rate: 50%

Tuition and required fees: $8,139 for in-state | $26,499 for out-of-state

Located in Cheney, Washington, about 16 miles southwest of Spokane, Eastern Washington University is a public college, founded in 1882, with a total student population of nearly 10,900, including more than 8,200 undergraduate students. Eastern Washington University has a graduation rate of 50%, which is better than the average graduation rate of 47% for all 58 Washington colleges analyzed in the study. On top of that, both in-state and out-of-state tuition costs for attending Eastern Washington are comparatively affordable, with in-state students paying only a little over $8,100 a year in tuition and required fees. 

Eastern Washington University has a couple of degrees you can pursue in political science. EWU awarded the fourth most degrees in political science ins the last academic year out of all 58 colleges in our study. The main degrees in political science Eastern Washington University offers include:

According to NCES data, the primary political science degrees awarded by EWU in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 32 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Gonzaga University

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 85%

Tuition and required fees: $49,800

Well known for its perennially competitive basketball team, Gonzaga University is also an excellent school academically and one of the best colleges for political science in Washington state. In terms of private colleges, Gonzaga is on the larger size, with a total student population of almost 7,400, including nearly 5,000 undergraduate students. Its graduation rate of 85% is one of the highest graduation rates of colleges in the state and also among the highest for the best colleges for political science in Washington. With an undergraduate admission rate of 76%, Gonzaga University is one of the hardest colleges to get into on our list of the best political science colleges in Washington. The main programs in political science Gonzaga University offers include a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, which requires a combined 33 credits, and a Minor in Political Science, which requires 18 credits.

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Gonzaga in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 45 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Saint Martin’s University

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 61%

Tuition and required fees$41,600

Saint Martin's University is a private Benedictine university in Lacey, Washington, just outside the state capital of Olympia. Saint Martin’s is a small private college, with about 1,600 total students and over 1,300 undergraduate students. With a graduation rate of 61%, its rate is 14 percentage points higher than the study’s overall average of 47%. Saint Martin’s University is also more competitive with its admissions than most of the best colleges for political science, accepting 72% of undergraduate applicants. All this together with the high proportion of political science degrees versus its undergraduate population, at 0.66%, helped boost Saint Martin’s University to rank among the best colleges for political science in Washington. Saint Martin’s offers a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as well as a Minor in Political Science

According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Saint Martin’s University in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 9 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Seattle Pacific University

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 66%

Tuition and required fees: $36,504

Not surprisingly, Seattle Pacific University is located in Seattle and is a private Christian university in founded in 1891 in connection with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. For a private college, its student body is of average size, with over 2,600 undergraduate students and more than 3,400 students in total. Although Seattle Pacific University isn’t too selective — its undergraduate acceptance rate is 92% — it has a strong graduation rate of 66%, much better than the average graduation rate of 47% for all Washington colleges in the study.  

Seattle Pacific University gives out a higher-than-average proportion of bachelor’s degrees in political science compared to all colleges, at 0.45%, of degrees to undergraduate students. Through Seattle Pacific’s School of Business, Government, and Economics, the top political science degrees on offer include its Political Science Major and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Major. According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Seattle Pacific University in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 12 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Seattle University

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 75%

Tuition and required fees: $50,328

As its name suggest, Seattle University is located in Seattle and  is a private Jesuit university. By the standards of private colleges, Seattle University is on the larger side. It has a total student population of over 7,200, including more than 4,200 undergraduate students. Seattle University boasts an above-average graduation rate of 75%, far higher than the 47% average for all 58 four-year colleges in Washington. Seattle University has one of the highest proportions of political science degrees to undergraduates, at 0.71%. The main programs in political science Seattle University offers include:

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Seattle University in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 30 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

University of Puget Sound

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 74%

Tuition and required fees: $57,626

Located in Tacoma, Washington, University of Puget Sound is medium-sized private college with a total student population of over 2,100, including nearly 1,900 undergraduates. Its graduation rate of 74% is one of the highest graduation rates of colleges in the state as well as among the highest for the best political science colleges in our study. The University of Puget Sound would have likely ranked higher among the best colleges for political science in Washington if it weren’t for its expensive costs of tuition and required fees. The main programs on offer in political science by the University of Puget Sound include its Bachelor Arts in Politics and Government and its Minor in Politics and Government.

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by the University of Puget Sound in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 8 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

University of Washington-Seattle

Type: 4-year, public institution

Graduation rate: 84%

Tuition and required fees: $12,242 for in-state | $40,740 for out-of-state

Washington state’s flagship college, the University of Washington, located in Seattle, ranked as the No. 1 best college for political science in the state. Boasting one of the highest graduation rates in Washington, at 84%, the University of Washington is one of the top colleges for political science in Washington. The university manages to maintain this excellent graduation rate despite its huge size, more than 52,000 total students, including over 36,000 undergraduate students. The primary degrees in political science the University of Washington offers include:

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by the University of Washington in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 214 awarded in Political Science and Government, General, and 75 awarded in Political Science and Government, Other.

  • Master’s degrees: 7 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

  • Doctoral degrees: 9 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Washington State University

Type: 4-year, public institution

Graduation rate: 60%

Tuition and required fees: $12,700 for in-state | $28,384 for out-of-state

The second largest in the state of Washington, Washington State University also ranks as one of the best political science colleges in Washington, fifth place to be exact. With an undergraduate population of over 24,000 and a total student population of nearly 30,000, WSU is quite large and not surprisingly offers degrees in political science on multiple levels. Despite its huge size, WSU maintains a graduation rate of 60%, which is 13 percentage points higher than the study’s overall average. The main political science degrees WSU offers include:

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Washington State University in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 104 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

  • Master’s degrees: 10 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

  • Doctoral degrees: 1 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Western Washington University

Type: 4-year, public institution

Graduation rate: 68%

Tuition and required fees: $9,267 for in-state | $27,174 for out-of-state

Western Washing University (WWU) ranked as the third best college for political science in Washington state. Located in Bellingham, close to 90 miles north of Seattle and close to the Canadian border, Western Washington University is one of the larger college sin the state. With an undergraduate population of just over 14,000 and more than 15,100 total students, WWU is the third biggest college in Washington state. And yet, despite its size, WWU manages to maintain a solid graduation rate of 68%, which is more than 20 percentage points higher than the average graduation rate of 58 colleges in the study. Out of the top 10 best colleges for political science in Washington, WWU awarded the third most degrees in political science in the last academic year. Its main program is its Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, which requires 60 credits to attain a major in.

According to NCES data, the primary political science degrees awarded by WWU in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 92 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

Whitman College

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 89%

Tuition and required fees: $58,200

Located in Walla Walla, Washington, Whitman College ranked at the second-best college for political science in Washington state. As a small private college, Whitman College has an undergraduate population of about 1,600, and no graduate students. As a result, Whitman College only awards bachelor’s degrees in political science. Still, what’s impressive is that Whitman College has the highest proportion of political science degrees versus its undergraduate population, at 1.54%. In addition, Whitman College boasts an incredibly high graduation rate of 89%, which was more than 40 percentage points higher than the study’s average. Whitman College is also one of the most selective colleges in our study, with an undergraduate acceptance rate of only 59%. The college’s principal degree program is a Bachelor of Arts or Minor in Political Science

According to NCES data, the principal political science degrees awarded by Whitman College in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 18 awarded in Political Science and Government, General, and 6 in Political Science and Government, Other.

Whitworth University

Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit

Graduation rate: 75%

Tuition and required fees: $47,770

Located in Spokane, Washington, Whitworth University is a private, Christian university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university has an undergraduate population of over 2,300 students and close to 2,700 students in total. Boasting a better-than-average graduation rate of 75%, Whitworth University is one of the top colleges for political science in Washington. Whitworth has a higher-than-average proportion of degrees in political science compared to its undergraduate population, at 0.61%. Though its yearly tuition and required fees is in excess of $47,000, that’s cheaper than Gonzaga and Whitman College. Whitworth University’s main degree program in political science is its Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

According to NCES data, the main political science degrees awarded by Whitworth University in the last academic year include:

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 14 awarded in Political Science and Government, General.

The Bottom Line on the Best Colleges for Political Science in Washington

If you’re looking to attend a college in Washington and hope to study political science, you have a lot of good options. The best colleges for political science in Washington include both big, public colleges as well as smaller private, not-for-profit schools. And many schools boast high numbers of degrees in political science as well as a high proportion of degrees in political science. The college that awarded the most bachelor’s degrees in political science was the University of Washington, with 214 conferred in the last academic year alone. However, the school with the highest proportion of degrees in political science compared to its total student population was Whitman College, at 1.54%. 

Many of these Washington colleges are affordable, though some of the public schools’ out-of-state tuition can get expensive, not to mention the private schools’ tuition rates. The good news for prospective and current students is that BrokeScholar has a whole library of college scholarships for political science majors. Attaining one of these scholarships can be a big help in reducing the cost of attending college, whether it’s on the undergraduate or graduate level.

Methodology

In order to identify the best colleges for political science in Washington, we analyzed 58 colleges and universities that fit the following criteria:

  • Are private, not-for-profit institutions or public institutions

  • Offer a degree in Political Science and Government, General, and Political Science and Government, Other, on any degree level ranging from undergraduate certificates to doctoral degrees

These 58 colleges and universities were sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as was data on their respective undergraduate populations; undergraduate graduation rates; approximate costs of tuition and required fees; the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in political science; and the proportion of these degrees to the undergraduate or total student population, depending on whether or not the college awards political science degrees above the undergraduate level.

Andrew DePietro

Author: Andrew DePietro

Senior Researcher, and Content Strategist

Andrew DePietro is a finance writer covering topics such as entrepreneurship, investing, real estate and college for BrokeScholar, Forbes, CreditKarma, and more.