How much debt do Assumption University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 23rd lowest of 26 political science bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Assumption University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

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

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

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Assumption University political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $38,496 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 82% of political science programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,49667th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,29088% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00023rd lowest of 26 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Massachusetts median 58%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	Assumption University	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,496	$42,476	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,290	$69,721	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,906	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	58%	65%
Programs compared		29	504

Five years out, Assumption University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,569 more than the Massachusetts median.

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

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

Assumption UniversityOther Massachusetts 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 88% between the first and fifth year.

Assumption University grads, year 1$38,496

Assumption University grads, year 5$72,290

All Massachusetts political science grads, year 5$69,721

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 $286 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (21 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Worcester area are about 3% above the national average, so a $38,496 salary here buys what about $37,549 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

$95,260

Median pay in Massachusetts. 28,460 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $61,500Top 10%: $122,660

Social Science Research Assistants

$63,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,500Top 10%: $82,130

Economists

$106,380

Median pay in Massachusetts. 1,030 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $74,080Top 10%: $222,610

Political Scientists

$133,930

Median pay in Massachusetts. 170 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $76,010Top 10%: $217,820

About Assumption University

Tuition and fees	$51,356 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,498 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	1,669

Political Science ranks 11th of 15 bachelor's programs at Assumption University by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($67,012), Economics ($58,954), and Business Administration ($56,211).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Worcester

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit		$38,496	$27,000
Clark UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$33,625	$26,000
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$47,029	$27,000
Fitchburg StateFitchburg, MA · public	20 mi	$29,600	$23,665
Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$50,214	$12,500
Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	29 mi	$43,770	$23,333
Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI · private nonprofit	30 mi	$41,112	$23,250
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	34 mi	$46,764	$18,000
UMass LowellLowell, MA · public	36 mi	$35,330	$19,900

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,496 one year after graduating and $72,290 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $42,476.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked29 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Assumption University programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt