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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 609 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$94,551 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

15.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−36%Estimated return after 10 years
$61,929Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$61,929 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$61,929Typical earnings four years after completion
$64,039Average earnings five years after completion
$23,708Typical federal student debt
50thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
68Degrees awarded in 2024–25
568College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 33 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Political Science and Government

How much do Political Science and Government bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $61,929 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $23,708. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Political Science and Government?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $55,548 to $68,800 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Political Science and Government?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$81,004
Federal debt
$21,375
Programs in the comparison
4
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$43,165
Federal debt
$8,333
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$61,929
Federal debt
$23,708
Programs in the comparison
609
568 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$75,523
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
16
16 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$105,203
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$114,020
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$55,548National median$61,92975th percentile$68,800
568 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$68,80075th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$23,708Median federal debt across programs that report it
80Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Johns Hopkins University

$121,729 four years after completionBaltimore, MD · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Williams College

$10,750 among completer borrowersWilliamstown, MA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Columbia University in the City of New York

232 reported awards in 2024–25New York, NY · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$102,789Observed year-4 earnings$85,668
$13,370Annual college-wide average net price$41,555
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Johns Hopkins University$121,7292Dartmouth College$106,1533Vanderbilt University$102,7894Columbia University in the City of New York$100,2455Colby College$96,6216Harvard University$95,8387Cornell University$95,3918Washington and Lee University$95,1909University of Notre Dame$94,29710Trinity College$94,097

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Political Scientists$142,080 median wage5,540 jobs nationwide-2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$83,350–$195,190 typical wage rangeManagers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangePolitical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$98,070 median wage16,970 jobs nationwide+2.5% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$56,450–$174,660 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeEconomists$124,720 median wage17,790 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$67,360–$238,060 typical wage rangeEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary$123,920 median wage11,560 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,060–$224,200 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Sociology

Year-4 earnings
$52,094
Federal debt
$25,000
509 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Economics

Year-4 earnings
$79,468
Federal debt
$22,907
390 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Anthropology

Year-4 earnings
$45,920
Federal debt
$23,000
208 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Geography and Cartography

Year-4 earnings
$57,751
Federal debt
$22,716
130 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

NY48 programs$66,249 average earningsCA47 programs$64,180 average earningsPA45 programs$65,463 average earningsTX27 programs$59,429 average earningsMA27 programs$68,994 average earningsOH26 programs$59,290 average earningsVA21 programs$67,289 average earningsIL21 programs$61,568 average earningsNJ19 programs$60,406 average earningsGA17 programs$61,844 average earningsNC16 programs$63,600 average earningsMN15 programs$57,807 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.