How much debt do Saint Joseph's University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 27 political science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $212 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from Saint Joseph's University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Private nonprofit university
Philadelphia, PA
About 16 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Joseph's University political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $38,894 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,000 in federal loans, less than at 76% of political science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying political science degrees in Pennsylvania.

First-year earnings$38,89469th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,38145% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,0005th lowest of 27 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings51%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.

	Saint Joseph's University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,894	$38,567	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,381	$62,817	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,000	$26,000	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	70%	65%
Programs compared		29	504

Five years out, Saint Joseph's University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $6,436 less than the Pennsylvania median. Several Pennsylvania programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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.

Saint Joseph's 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 45% between the first and fifth year.

Saint Joseph's University grads, year 1$38,894

Saint Joseph's University grads, year 5$56,381

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 $212 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $38,894 salary here buys what about $37,925 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

$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 Saint Joseph's University

Tuition and fees	$53,260 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,689 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	79%
Undergraduate students	4,948

Political Science ranks 18th of 22 bachelor's programs at Saint Joseph's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($69,807), Insurance ($66,523), and Finance ($66,072).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Philadelphia

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit		$38,894	$20,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$65,473	$14,722
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	4 mi	$36,011	$25,815
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$46,549	$25,620
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public	21 mi	$26,042	$24,265
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	31 mi	$40,229	$25,625
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)Lincoln University, PA · public	39 mi	$26,037	$28,500
Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	43 mi	$53,632	$21,150
Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA · private nonprofit	44 mi	$25,058	$26,950

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,894 one year after graduating and $56,381 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 Saint Joseph's University programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt