UNC Chapel Hill Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Public university
- Chapel Hill, NC
- About 369 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UNC Chapel Hill political science graduates earn more than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $41,200 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,100 in federal loans, less than at 93% of political science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying political science degrees in North Carolina.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, UNC Chapel Hill graduates earn more than the national figure and about $14,676 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina 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 73% 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 $5,250 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 $160 a month, or 4.7% 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, 36 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $25,650.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
66% of graduates (221 of 333) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Durham area are about 2% below the national average, so a $41,200 salary here buys what about $42,225 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
$57,650Median pay in North Carolina. 28,620 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$63,710Median pay in North Carolina. 2,930 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$136,150Median pay in North Carolina. 290 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$142,080Median 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 UNC Chapel Hill
Political Science ranks 18th of 40 bachelor's programs at UNC Chapel Hill by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($90,293), Business Administration ($85,618), and Information Science ($75,834).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Chapel Hill
Common questions
The median graduate earns $41,200 one year after graduating and $71,082 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $32,780.
The median federal loan balance is $15,100, which ranks 2nd lowest of 15 political science bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $160 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 66% (221 of 333) were working in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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