How much debt do CU Denver political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,066, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 political science bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from CU Denver worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 52% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

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

Most do. 79% (37 of 47) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Denver, CO
About 44 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Denver political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $40,272 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,066 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$40,27275th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$62,70756% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,0665th lowest of 8 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings52%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 Denver	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,272	$37,759	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$62,707	$61,049	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,066	$20,658	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	52%	54%	65%
Programs compared		8	504

Five years out, CU Denver graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as 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 DenverOther 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 56% between the first and fifth year.

CU Denver grads, year 1$40,272

CU Denver grads, year 5$62,707

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $223 a month, or 6.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (37 of 47) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $40,272 salary here buys what about $38,071 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 Denver

In-state tuition and fees	$10,383 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,391 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,900 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	10,519

Political Science ranks 14th of 32 bachelor's programs at CU Denver by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($78,878), Nursing ($75,503), and Computer and Information Science ($75,137).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Denver

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU DenverDenver, CO · public		$40,272	$21,066
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	8 mi	$38,059	$22,000
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	9 mi	$39,920	$23,500
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	29 mi	$39,954	$19,500
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	47 mi	$37,458	$20,250
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	59 mi	$36,324	$19,500
UCCSColorado Springs, CO · public	59 mi	$37,295	$17,625

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,272 one year after graduating and $62,707 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 Denver programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt