How much debt do Montclair State political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 11 political science bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Montclair State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 97% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

Montclair State Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Montclair State political science graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 89% (74 of 83) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Montclair, NJ
About 76 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Montclair State political science graduates earn less than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $26,704 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$26,7048th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$58,252118% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0007th lowest of 11 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings97%New Jersey median 77%, national 65%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New Jersey and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Montclair State	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,704	$33,031	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$58,252	$61,823	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$25,813	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	97%	77%	65%
Programs compared		12	504

Five years out, Montclair State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,571 less than the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey political science program

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

Montclair StateOther New Jersey 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 118% between the first and fifth year.

Montclair State grads, year 1$26,704

Montclair State grads, year 5$58,252

All New Jersey political science grads, year 5$61,823

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, but borrowed more: a median of $27,000 against $19,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$31,473Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$24,867Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 12.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (77 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $22,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (74 of 83) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $26,704 salary here buys what about $23,724 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

$82,200

Median pay in New Jersey. 38,140 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $63,040Top 10%: $108,230

Social Science Research Assistants

$62,760

Median pay in New Jersey. 370 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $37,960Top 10%: $105,390

Economists

$167,550

Median pay in New Jersey. 280 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $83,990Top 10%: $195,190

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 Montclair State

In-state tuition and fees	$15,912 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$26,022 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,566 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	18,376

Political Science ranks 33rd of 40 bachelor's programs at Montclair State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($104,219), Accounting ($56,917), and Chemistry ($55,389).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Montclair

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public		$26,704	$26,000
William Paterson University of New JerseyWayne, NJ · public	6 mi	$37,801	$26,000
Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ · private nonprofit	9 mi	$28,138	$25,000
John Jay CollegeNew York, NY · public	13 mi	$35,828	$14,820
Kean UniversityUnion, NJ · public	13 mi	$30,436	$27,000
Barnard CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	13 mi	$57,298	$19,000
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	13 mi	$61,077	$22,943
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	13 mi	$29,823	$11,500
Drew UniversityMadison, NJ · private nonprofit	14 mi	$35,171	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,704 one year after graduating and $58,252 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $33,031.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Montclair State programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt