How much debt do Ashland University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,738, which ranks 18th lowest of 21 political science bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $283 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Ashland University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%.

Ashland University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Private nonprofit university
Ashland, OH
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ashland University political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $44,455 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $26,738 in federal loans, more than at 80% of political science programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$44,45586th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,90315% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,73818th lowest of 21 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings60%Ohio median 77%, national 65%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Ohio and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Ashland University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$44,455	$32,586	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,903	$59,813	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,738	$25,000	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	60%	77%	65%
Programs compared		21	504

Five years out, Ashland University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,910 less than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio political science program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Ohio medians.

Ashland UniversityOther Ohio programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 15% between the first and fifth year.

Ashland University grads, year 1$44,455

Ashland University grads, year 5$50,903

All Ohio political science grads, year 5$59,813

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $283 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Ohio outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $44,455 salary here buys what about $50,339 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to political science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,330

Median pay in Ohio. 240 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $23,770Top 10%: $104,420

Economists

$120,000

Median pay in Ohio. 140 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $69,770Top 10%: $216,920

Political Scientists

$119,370

Median pay in Ohio. 40 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,590Top 10%: $142,080

About Ashland University

Tuition and fees	$31,210 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,988 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	2,199

Political Science ranks 7th of 15 bachelor's programs at Ashland University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,445), Business Administration ($58,580), and Accounting ($55,407).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Ashland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ashland UniversityAshland, OH · private nonprofit		$44,455	$26,738
College of WoosterWooster, OH · private nonprofit	21 mi	$38,727	$27,000
Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit	30 mi	$30,187	$24,314
Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH · private nonprofit	34 mi	$39,550	$18,354
Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH · private nonprofit	43 mi	$31,696	$27,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	45 mi	$26,574	$25,983
Kent StateKent, OH · public	55 mi	$31,389	$25,000
Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelaware, OH · private nonprofit	55 mi	$27,165	$26,800
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	56 mi	$26,204	$22,375

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,455 one year after graduating and $50,903 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Ohio is $32,586.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Ohio comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the political science program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Political Science bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Ashland University programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt