How much debt do Howard University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 6 political science bachelor's programs in District of Columbia. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Howard University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other District of Columbia programs before deciding.

Howard University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Private nonprofit university
Washington, DC
About 148 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Howard University political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $31,897 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 District of Columbia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,89728th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,98688% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 6 District of Columbia programs

Debt-to-earnings85%District of Columbia median 52%, national 65%

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.

	Howard University	District of Columbia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,897	$48,985	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,986	$78,954	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,125	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	85%	52%	65%
Programs compared		6	504

Five years out, Howard University graduates earn about the national figure but about $18,968 less 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.

Howard UniversityOther District of Columbia 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 88% between the first and fifth year.

Howard University grads, year 1$31,897

Howard University grads, year 5$59,986

All District of Columbia political science grads, year 5$78,954

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 more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,844Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$21,963Median debt $26,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 10.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (113 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

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, 62 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $86,521.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $31,897 salary here buys what about $29,294 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

$82,750

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $50,750Top 10%: $128,170

Social Science Research Assistants

$65,330

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $50,810Top 10%: $112,030

Economists

$167,590

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $98,350Top 10%: $299,110

Political Scientists

$152,530

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $114,920Top 10%: $195,190

About Howard University

Tuition and fees	$35,810 / year
Average net price after aid	$50,539 / year
Admission rate	41%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	10,108

Political Science ranks 8th of 14 bachelor's programs at Howard University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Systems Analysis ($92,324), Finance ($81,074), and Nursing ($79,646).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Washington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Howard UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit		$31,897	$27,000
Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · private nonprofit	1 mi	$44,617	$25,000
George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	2 mi	$51,537	$23,000
University of the District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · public	3 mi	$49,935	$36,562
Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	3 mi	$55,247	$16,500
American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	4 mi	$48,034	$23,250
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	6 mi	$42,688	$18,768
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	9 mi	$62,476	$17,600
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	17 mi	$45,846	$22,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,897 one year after graduating and $59,986 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in District of Columbia is $48,985.

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

Political Science bachelor's programs in District of Columbia, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Howard University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt