University of Maryland Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Public university
- College Park, MD
- About 321 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Maryland political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $42,688 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,768 in federal loans, less than at 83% of political science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying political science degrees in Maryland.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Maryland and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Maryland graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,167 more than the Maryland median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Maryland medians.
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.
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 $11,982 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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, 61 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,242.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
62% of graduates (139 of 224) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $42,688 salary here buys what about $39,205 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
$78,670Median pay in Maryland. 16,640 people work in this job in Maryland. 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.
Social Science Research Assistants
$65,550Median pay in Maryland. 700 people work in this job in Maryland. 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.
Economists
$144,680Median pay in Maryland. 1,130 people work in this job in Maryland. 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.
Political Scientists
$153,380Median pay in Maryland. 100 people work in this job in Maryland. 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 University of Maryland
Political Science ranks 28th of 51 bachelor's programs at University of Maryland by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($99,756), Computer Engineering ($95,847), and Electrical Engineering ($85,500).
Other political science bachelor's programs near College Park
Common questions
The median graduate earns $42,688 one year after graduating and $79,622 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Maryland is $39,616.
The median federal loan balance is $18,768, which ranks 2nd lowest of 10 political science bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 44% 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.
Most do. 62% (139 of 224) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.
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 Maryland 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