University of Rhode Island Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Public university
- Kingston, RI
- About 86 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Rhode Island political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $31,649 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Several Rhode Island programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Rhode Island and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Rhode Island graduates earn more than the national figure but about $13,108 less than the Rhode Island median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Rhode Island 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 106% 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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $23,162 against $19,500.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $217 a month, or 8.2% 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, 42 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,743.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
59% of graduates (57 of 96) were working in Rhode Island one year after graduating. Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $31,649 salary here buys what about $31,098 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
$92,610Median pay in Rhode Island. 4,910 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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
$51,420Median pay in Rhode Island. 220 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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
$124,720Median pay nationwide. 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 University of Rhode Island
Political Science ranks 42nd of 49 bachelor's programs at University of Rhode Island by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($82,218), Electrical Engineering ($81,508), and Computer Engineering ($80,029).
Other political science bachelor's programs near Kingston
Common questions
The median graduate earns $31,649 one year after graduating and $65,055 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $39,220.
The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 political science bachelor's programs in Rhode Island. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Rhode Island programs before deciding.
Most do. 59% (57 of 96) were working in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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