How much debt do Clayton State political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,500, which ranks 13th lowest of 13 political science bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $323 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Clayton State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 106% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Do Clayton State political science graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 100% (16 of 16) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Clayton State Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Morrow, GA
About 3 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Clayton State political science graduates earn less than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $28,784 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,500 in federal loans, more than at 98% of political science programs in the country. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,78414th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Median federal debt$30,50013th lowest of 13 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings106%Georgia median 78%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	Clayton State	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,784	$32,340	$35,484
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,500	$25,625	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	106%	78%	65%
Programs compared		13	504

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

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

Clayton StateOther Georgia programs

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 $323 a month, or 13.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (16 of 16) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Social Science Research Assistants

$66,620

Median pay in Georgia. 1,840 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $40,650Top 10%: $136,810

Economists

$122,570

Median pay in Georgia. 260 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $78,190Top 10%: $187,330

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 Clayton State

In-state tuition and fees	$5,180 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,532 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,365 / year
Admission rate	68%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	4,348

Political Science ranks 17th of 20 bachelor's programs at Clayton State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($82,714), Computer and Information Science ($61,318), and Computer Science ($56,328).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Morrow

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public		$28,784	$30,500
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	11 mi	$29,275	$26,000
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	11 mi	$39,050	$27,000
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$32,340	$25,125
Clark Atlanta UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$28,554	$27,000
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	14 mi	$46,629	$17,590
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	34 mi	$36,794	$25,625
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	44 mi	$31,706	$30,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,784 one year after graduating. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Georgia is $32,340.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Clayton State programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt