Boston University vs Fordham for political science: which is better for undergrads?

The biggest practical tradeoff is academic breadth and scale at Boston University versus Fordham’s smaller, more personal feel with especially strong access to New York politics and policy spaces. For political science, both can work well, but they create a different undergraduate experience: BU gives you a larger research university environment with more extensive course variety, while Fordham often offers tighter faculty access and a campus culture that can feel easier to navigate. Since you care about public policy and internships in a big city, location matters a lot here, and Fordham’s New York setting is a real advantage for state, city, nonprofit, legal, and advocacy internships during the semester.

BU’s political science strength is tied to being a large university with broad offerings across government, international relations, political theory, public policy, economics, and area studies. It also benefits from being in Boston, which is a strong city for politics, policy organizations, higher ed networks, and state government access. If you like the idea of a bigger department, more cross-registration-style flexibility within a large university, and a more research-heavy atmosphere, BU tends to offer more of that.

Fordham stands out if you want undergraduate attention and direct exposure to New York institutions. Its political science students can tap into internships connected to city government, advocacy groups, campaigns, nonprofits, and legal or policy-adjacent work during the academic year. Fordham’s smaller scale can make it easier to build relationships with professors, which matters for recommendations, mentorship, and getting pointed toward specific opportunities.

If the question is which school is the stronger political science environment on academics alone, I’d lean BU. If the question is which may be more strategically useful for an undergrad who wants hands-on policy and political internships while in school, Fordham has a very compelling case.