How much debt do Lehigh University international relations graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,250, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 international relations bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $225 a month over 10 years.

Is a international relations degree from Lehigh University worth it?

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

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

Bachelor's in International Relations and National Security Studies
Private nonprofit university
Bethlehem, PA
About 32 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lehigh University international relations graduates earn about what international relations graduates earn nationally, $36,147 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $21,750. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,14745th percentile of 105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$80,384122% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,2503rd lowest of 6 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Pennsylvania median 57%, national 59%

How it compares

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

	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,147	$45,858	$36,889
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$80,384	$79,026	$64,642
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,250	$21,250	$21,750
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	57%	59%
Programs compared		7	105

Five years out, Lehigh University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Pennsylvania median.

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

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

Lehigh UniversityOther Pennsylvania 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 122% between the first and fifth year.

Lehigh University grads, year 1$36,147

Lehigh University grads, year 5$80,384

All Pennsylvania international relations grads, year 5$79,026

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 $225 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Allentown 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 international relations, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Political Scientists

$140,020

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $70,450Top 10%: $203,130

About Lehigh University

Tuition and fees	$64,980 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,931 / year
Admission rate	26%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	88%
Undergraduate students	5,898

International Relations ranks 21st of 21 bachelor's programs at Lehigh University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($88,587), Computer and Information Science ($83,356), and Chemical Engineering ($82,435).

Other international relations bachelor's programs near Bethlehem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit		$36,147	$21,250
Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit	11 mi	$58,433	$16,620
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	46 mi	$65,559	$10,470

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,147 one year after graduating and $80,384 five years after. The median across international relations bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $45,858.

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 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 Pennsylvania, ranked7 programs by pay and debt International Relations bachelor's programs in the US, ranked105 programs by pay and debt All Lehigh University programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt