Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Public university
- Bloomsburg, PA
- About 31 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $40,245 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $29,025 in federal loans, more than at 97% of political science programs in the country. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Pennsylvania and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania graduates earn less than the national figure and about $16,525 less than the Pennsylvania median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Pennsylvania 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 15% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $5,579 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $308 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
83% of graduates (39 of 47) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas are about 10% below the national average, so a $40,245 salary here buys what about $44,553 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
$78,800Median pay in Pennsylvania. 52,240 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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
$54,610Median pay in Pennsylvania. 860 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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
$115,000Median pay in Pennsylvania. 560 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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
$140,020Median pay in Pennsylvania. 70 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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 Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Political Science ranks 16th of 37 bachelor's programs at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,809), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($63,826), and Computer Science ($61,299).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Bloomsburg
Common questions
The median graduate earns $40,245 one year after graduating and $46,292 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $38,567.
The median federal loan balance is $29,025, which ranks 27th lowest of 27 political science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $308 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.
Most do. 83% (39 of 47) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating.
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 Pennsylvania 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