Champaign, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs, with tuition ranging from $16,144 to $34,309 per year for indexed programs. Champaign has a population of about 88,822. Median household income is $57,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning political science-related role is Political Scientists at a median $103,780 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Political Science Schools to Champaign
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer political science programs near Champaign, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Champaign city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Champaign.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,054
Avg net price
$14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 177
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois political science page.
Political Science Wages Near Champaign
Champaign is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Political Scientists |
$103,780 |
IL statewide |
$111,953 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary |
$100,700 |
IL statewide |
$108,630 |
| Management Analysts |
$98,050 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL |
$105,771 |
| Public Relations Specialists |
$67,130 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL |
$72,416 |
| Survey Researchers |
$54,080 |
IL statewide |
$58,339 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants |
$58,580 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL |
$63,193 |
| Compliance Officers |
$72,560 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL |
$78,274 |
| Social and Community Service Managers |
$78,910 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL |
$85,124 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Champaign at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
88,822 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$57,544 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
53.6% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
92.7 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Champaign-Area Cities With Political Science Programs
- Urbana, IL – 4.0 mi away (42,014 pop)
- Danville, IL – 35.0 mi away (48,785 pop)
- Decatur, IL – 39.3 mi away (89,653 pop)
- Charleston, IL – 43.8 mi away (21,105 pop)
- Bloomington, IL – 44.4 mi away (135,015 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited political science schools are near Champaign, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering political science programs near Champaign. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Illinois State University (46.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying political science roles near Champaign?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying political science-related roles near Champaign are: Political Scientists ($103,780), Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($100,700), Management Analysts ($98,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Urbana instead of Champaign?
Urbana, IL is 4.0 miles from Champaign and has its own set of local political science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Champaign an affordable place to study political science?
Champaign’s median household income of $57,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Champaign while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Political Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Champaign
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Champaign:
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- Social Work programs in Champaign, IL
- Counseling programs in Champaign, IL
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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