Is a international relations degree from Georgia Southern University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 90% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 59%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Georgia Southern University International Relations (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Georgia Southern University international relations graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,008, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 international relations bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in International Relations and National Security Studies
Public university
Statesboro, GA
About 10 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Georgia Southern University international relations graduates earn less than graduates of most international relations programs nationally, $27,664 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $25,008 in federal loans, more than at 79% of international relations programs in the country. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,66410th percentile of 105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$41,65151% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0085th lowest of 5 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings90%Georgia median 50%, national 59%

How it compares

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

	Georgia Southern University	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,664	$39,275	$36,889
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$41,651	$61,391	$64,642
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,008	$20,500	$21,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	90%	50%	59%
Programs compared		5	105

Five years out, Georgia Southern University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $19,740 less than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia international relations program

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

Georgia Southern UniversityOther Georgia programs

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 51% between the first and fifth year.

Georgia Southern University grads, year 1$27,664

Georgia Southern University grads, year 5$41,651

All Georgia international relations grads, year 5$61,391

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 $265 a month, or 11.5% 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 Georgia outside metro areas are about 13% below the national average, so a $27,664 salary here buys what about $31,804 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 international relations, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

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 Georgia Southern University

In-state tuition and fees	$6,022 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,734 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,267 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	21,790

International Relations ranks 39th of 47 bachelor's programs at Georgia Southern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Manufacturing Engineering ($83,438), Electrical Engineering ($75,859), and Nursing ($72,741).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,664 one year after graduating and $41,651 five years after. The median across international relations bachelor's programs in Georgia is $39,275.

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 international relations 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

International Relations bachelor's programs in Georgia, ranked5 programs by pay and debt International Relations bachelor's programs in the US, ranked105 programs by pay and debt All Georgia Southern University programs, ranked47 programs by pay and debt