How much debt do CU Boulder political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 political science bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from CU Boulder worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 49% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

CU Boulder Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do CU Boulder political science graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 62% (55 of 89) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Boulder, CO
About 281 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Boulder political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $39,954 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 77% of political science programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$39,95474th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$74,67287% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5002nd lowest of 8 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings49%Colorado median 54%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	CU Boulder	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,954	$37,759	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$74,672	$61,049	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$20,658	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	54%	65%
Programs compared		8	504

Five years out, CU Boulder graduates earn more than the national figure and about $13,623 more than the Colorado median.

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

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

CU BoulderOther Colorado 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 87% between the first and fifth year.

CU Boulder grads, year 1$39,954

CU Boulder grads, year 5$74,672

All Colorado political science grads, year 5$61,049

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 $6,397 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,338Median debt $19,583

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$41,735Median debt $15,273

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 6.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (119 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	40–49%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 38 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $53,789.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

62% of graduates (55 of 89) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Boulder area are about 5% above the national average, so a $39,954 salary here buys what about $37,978 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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,430

Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $42,590Top 10%: $63,610

Economists

$121,410

Median pay in Colorado. 240 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $73,450Top 10%: $193,480

Political Scientists

$127,260

Median pay in Colorado. 30 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $80,010Top 10%: $197,490

About CU Boulder

In-state tuition and fees	$15,666 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,918 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,346 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	31,939

Political Science ranks 22nd of 39 bachelor's programs at CU Boulder by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($88,957), Computer Engineering ($86,211), and Aerospace Engineering ($81,835).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Boulder

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public		$39,954	$19,500
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	23 mi	$39,920	$23,500
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	28 mi	$38,059	$22,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	29 mi	$40,272	$21,066
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	40 mi	$36,324	$19,500
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	41 mi	$37,458	$20,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,954 one year after graduating and $74,672 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,759.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All CU Boulder programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt