ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Political Science Schools in West Virginia

4 Colleges in the United States
254 Political Science Degrees Awarded
$50,192 Avg Early-Career Salary

Political Science programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 11 schools to find the best for political science students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/social-sciences/political-science-and-government/political-science/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 1
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 45.10), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "BA in Political Science" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "BA in Political Science" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 0 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 0
DEBUG: No ESYOH offers, checking direct offers

Best Schools for Political Science in West Virginia

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall political science education in West Virginia.

Top Schools in Political Science

1

Leading the list is American Public University System, our #1 school for political science. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Public University System is a very large private for-profit university. American Public University System graduates 47% of students within six years. There were roughly 115 political science students who graduated with this degree at American Public University System in the most recent data year. Graduates of the political science program make about $63,036 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $18,304. More information about a degree in political science from American Public University System

2
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV

Shepherd University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best political science schools. Shepherd University is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Shepherdstown. The six-year graduation rate is 51%. Shepherd University awarded about 11 political science degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients from Shepherd University generally make around $40,748. Shepherd University graduates carry a median of $23,326 in student loans. Get the full political science details for Shepherd University

3

A rank of #3 makes University Of Charleston one of the top schools for political science. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Charleston. About 44% of students finish within six years. University Of Charleston awarded about 11 political science degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, political science degree recipients from University Of Charleston generally make around $64,407. Typical student debt for the program is $22,646. More information about a degree in political science from University Of Charleston

4

West Virginia University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in political science, ranking #4. This very large public university is located in the city of Morgantown. West Virginia University graduates 64% of students within six years. West Virginia University awarded about 98 political science degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their political science degree from West Virginia University earn around $30,286 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $23,250 to complete this degree. See the full political science program report for West Virginia University

5
Marshall University crest
Marshall University
Huntington, WV

Marshall University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best political science schools. Located in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a large public university. Roughly 51% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 19 political science students who graduated with this degree at Marshall University in the most recent data year. Political Science graduates of Marshall University earn a median of $52,481 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $24,233. More information about a degree in political science from Marshall University

ADBLOCK #173
View All Political Science Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 11 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options