George Washington University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Private nonprofit university
- Washington, DC
- About 305 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
George Washington University political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $51,537 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. One other District of Columbia program reports higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The District of Columbia and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, George Washington University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,992 more than the District of Columbia median.
Debt and first-year pay at every District of Columbia political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the District of Columbia 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 69% 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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $25,000 against $20,500.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 5.7% 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. Separately, 75 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $47,632.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
35% of graduates (79 of 223) were working in District of Columbia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $51,537 salary here buys what about $47,332 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
$82,750Median pay in District of Columbia. 2,800 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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
$65,330Median pay in District of Columbia. 1,560 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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
$167,590Median pay in District of Columbia. 3,000 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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
$152,530Median pay in District of Columbia. 3,070 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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 George Washington University
Political Science ranks 21st of 30 bachelor's programs at George Washington University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($104,200), Information Technology ($86,753), and Mechanical Engineering ($82,361).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Washington
Common questions
The median graduate earns $51,537 one year after graduating and $86,946 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in District of Columbia is $48,985.
The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 political science bachelor's programs in District of Columbia. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.
Many leave. 35% (79 of 223) were working in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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