Carleton College Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Private nonprofit college
- Northfield, MN
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Carleton College political science graduates earn less than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $29,858 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,000 in federal loans, less than at 81% of political science programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Minnesota median of $35,104.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Minnesota and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Minnesota medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $201 a month, or 8.1% 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 Minnesota outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $29,858 salary here buys what about $34,778 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
$76,460Median pay in Minnesota. 16,020 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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
$44,920Median pay in Minnesota. 300 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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
$105,120Median pay in Minnesota. 500 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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 Carleton College
Political Science ranks 6th of 7 bachelor's programs at Carleton College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($88,132), Economics ($66,567), and Geology and Earth Science ($40,371).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Northfield
Common questions
The median graduate earns $29,858 one year after graduating. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $35,104.
The median federal loan balance is $19,000, which ranks the lowest of 15 political science bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $201 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 64% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Minnesota programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
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 Minnesota 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