How do NYU and Notre Dame compare for undergraduate political science?

Neither is categorically stronger for every political science student: NYU is especially compelling for someone who wants political study embedded in New York City’s policy, media, legal, nonprofit, and international communities, while Notre Dame offers a more traditional, close-knit undergraduate political science experience with notable strengths in political theory, constitutionalism, democracy, and public service. Both have serious faculty and broad coursework across American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.

At NYU, the Politics Department benefits from immediate access to institutions such as the United Nations, advocacy organizations, campaigns, think tanks, courts, and major media outlets. A student who is proactive about internships during the semester, wants to combine politics with economics, journalism, data analysis, or global studies, and is energized by a large urban university can build an unusually practical political science education. NYU’s scale and location also make it appealing for students interested in international affairs or politics as it intersects with culture and public debate.

Notre Dame may feel academically stronger for a student seeking sustained faculty mentorship, a defined campus community, and time for discussion-centered study of political ideas and institutions. Its political science department is closely connected to resources such as the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Center for Social Concerns, and public-service opportunities including the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. The university’s Catholic intellectual tradition can also add a distinctive lens for students interested in ethics, human rights, religion and politics, or questions of democracy and the common good.

For a student whose priority is leveraging a city for internships and professional exploration from the first year onward, NYU has a clear environmental advantage. For someone who wants a residential campus, stronger built-in community, and a more deliberately undergraduate-centered path into public service or graduate study, Notre Dame may provide the more satisfying academic experience.