Bryant University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Private nonprofit university
- Smithfield, RI
- About 13 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Bryant University political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $41,112 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Two other Rhode Island programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Rhode Island and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Bryant University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,013 more than the Rhode Island median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Rhode Island medians.
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 112% between the first and fifth year.
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 $246 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $41,112 salary here buys what about $40,396 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
$92,610Median pay in Rhode Island. 4,910 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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.
Social Science Research Assistants
$51,420Median pay in Rhode Island. 220 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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.
Economists
$124,720Median pay nationwide. 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.
Political Scientists
$142,080Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Bryant University
Political Science ranks 11th of 11 bachelor's programs at Bryant University by first-year earnings. The top three are International Business ($65,237), Business Administration ($65,045), and Applied Mathematics ($64,954).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Smithfield
Common questions
The median graduate earns $41,112 one year after graduating and $87,176 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $39,220.
The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 4th lowest of 6 political science bachelor's programs in Rhode Island. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 57% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%.
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 Rhode Island 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