Claflin University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Private nonprofit university
- Orangeburg, SC
- About 5 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Claflin University political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $33,287 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 South Carolina programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The South Carolina and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Claflin University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $19,919 less than the South Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every South Carolina political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the South Carolina 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 17% 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 $286 a month, or 10.3% 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 South Carolina outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $33,287 salary here buys what about $38,624 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
$62,580Median pay in South Carolina. 16,080 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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
$64,490Median pay in South Carolina. 500 people work in this job in South Carolina. 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 Claflin University
Political Science ranks 3rd of 10 bachelor's programs at Claflin University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,590), Business Administration ($37,616), and Political Science ($33,287).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Orangeburg
Common questions
The median graduate earns $33,287 one year after graduating and $38,842 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in South Carolina is $33,782.
The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 12 political science bachelor's programs in South Carolina. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 81% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other South Carolina programs before deciding.
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 South Carolina 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