Is a political science degree from California Lutheran University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.

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

Q: How much debt do California Lutheran University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,125, which ranks 32nd lowest of 42 political science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $224 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Private nonprofit university
Thousand Oaks, CA
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

California Lutheran University political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $36,061 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,125 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,06154th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,65760% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,12532nd lowest of 42 California programs

Debt-to-earnings59%California median 50%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	California Lutheran University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,061	$35,211	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,657	$67,807	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,125	$17,068	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	50%	65%
Programs compared		44	504

Five years out, California Lutheran University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $10,150 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

California Lutheran UniversityOther California 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

California Lutheran University grads, year 1$36,061

California Lutheran University grads, year 5$57,657

All California political science grads, year 5$67,807

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 $224 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $43,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Oxnard area are about 11% above the national average, so a $36,061 salary here buys what about $32,624 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

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. 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%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

Economists

$119,410

Median pay in California. 860 people work in this job in California. 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%: $74,030Top 10%: $207,380

Political Scientists

$142,080

Median 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 California Lutheran University

Tuition and fees	$52,560 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,109 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	2,296

Political Science ranks 7th of 15 bachelor's programs at California Lutheran University by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($72,696), Computer Science ($68,398), and Management Science ($57,276).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Thousand Oaks

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
California Lutheran UniversityThousand Oaks, CA · private nonprofit		$36,061	$21,125
Cal State Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · public	10 mi	$34,799	$15,000
Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$42,306	$23,625
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	20 mi	$32,014	$14,202
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	27 mi	$34,392	$15,000
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	32 mi	$31,033	$22,146
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$38,063	$12,869
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	39 mi	$45,175	$25,700
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	42 mi	$29,818	$10,614

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,061 one year after graduating and $57,657 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in California is $35,211.

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 California 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 California, ranked44 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All California Lutheran University programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt