How much debt do UC Berkeley political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 42 political science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $138 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from UC Berkeley worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.

UC Berkeley Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UC Berkeley political science graduates stay in California?

Most do. 84% (320 of 379) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Berkeley, CA
About 418 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UC Berkeley political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $45,418 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,000 in federal loans, less than at 96% of political science programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in California.

First-year earnings$45,41888th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$78,02672% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,0005th lowest of 42 California programs

Debt-to-earnings29%California median 50%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	UC Berkeley	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,418	$35,211	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$78,026	$67,807	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,000	$17,068	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	50%	65%
Programs compared		44	504

Five years out, UC Berkeley graduates earn more than the national figure and about $10,219 more than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California political science program

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

UC BerkeleyOther California 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 72% between the first and fifth year.

UC Berkeley grads, year 1$45,418

UC Berkeley grads, year 5$78,026

All California political science grads, year 5$67,807

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 $4,731 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$44,538Median debt $13,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$49,269Median debt $13,471

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $138 a month, or 3.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (264 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–24%
Paying down the balance	35–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% 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, 93 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $22,546.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (320 of 379) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Francisco area are about 16% above the national average, so a $45,418 salary here buys what about $39,285 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

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. 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%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

Economists

$119,410

Median pay in California. 860 people work in this job in California. 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%: $74,030Top 10%: $207,380

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 UC Berkeley

In-state tuition and fees	$16,347 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$50,547 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,481 / year
Admission rate	11%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	93%
Undergraduate students	33,068

Political Science ranks 27th of 48 bachelor's programs at UC Berkeley by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($149,866), Electrical Engineering ($137,295), and Business Administration ($90,008).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Berkeley

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public		$45,418	$13,000
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA · private nonprofit	9 mi	$45,296	$25,967
University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$40,056	$23,000
San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	16 mi	$36,502	$17,000
Cal State East BayHayward, CA · public	19 mi	$40,460	$19,544
Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · private nonprofit	31 mi	$59,297	$12,000
Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public	39 mi	$43,547	$16,956
Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$57,111	$21,750
UC DavisDavis, CA · public	54 mi	$36,208	$14,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,418 one year after graduating and $78,026 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in California is $35,211.

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 California 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 California, ranked44 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All UC Berkeley programs, ranked48 programs by pay and debt