How much debt do Lehigh University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,150, which ranks 6th lowest of 27 political science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $224 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Lehigh University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 39% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%.

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

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Private nonprofit university
Bethlehem, PA
About 36 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lehigh University political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $53,632 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,150 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in Pennsylvania.

First-year earnings$53,63294th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$88,88966% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,1506th lowest of 27 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings39%Pennsylvania median 70%, national 65%

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.

	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$53,632	$38,567	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$88,889	$62,817	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,150	$26,000	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	39%	70%	65%
Programs compared		29	504

Five years out, Lehigh University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $26,072 more 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.

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 66% between the first and fifth year.

Lehigh University grads, year 1$53,632

Lehigh University grads, year 5$88,889

All Pennsylvania political science grads, year 5$62,817

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 $224 a month, or 5.0% 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 political science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,800

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $51,440Top 10%: $102,360

Social Science Research Assistants

$54,610

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $44,710Top 10%: $81,640

Economists

$115,000

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $64,500Top 10%: $164,650

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

Political Science ranks 17th 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 political science bachelor's programs near Bethlehem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit		$53,632	$21,150
Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$25,058	$26,950
Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit	11 mi	$48,112	$13,640
Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaKutztown, PA · public	22 mi	$38,567	$27,000
East Stroudsburg University of PennsylvaniaEast Stroudsburg, PA · public	29 mi	$26,153	$25,250
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	39 mi	$40,229	$25,625
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	39 mi	$46,549	$25,620
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	43 mi	$38,894	$20,000
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	45 mi	$36,011	$25,815

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,632 one year after graduating and $88,889 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $38,567.

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

Political Science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania, ranked29 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Lehigh University programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt