How much debt do USC Upstate political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,000, which ranks 12th lowest of 12 political science bachelor's programs in South Carolina. That works out to about $318 a month over 10 years.

Is a political science degree from USC Upstate worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 84% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other South Carolina programs before deciding.

USC Upstate Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do USC Upstate political science graduates stay in South Carolina?

Most do. 89% (17 of 19) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Spartanburg, SC
About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

USC Upstate political science graduates earn about what political science graduates earn nationally, $35,798 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,000 in federal loans, more than at 97% of political science programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying political science degrees in South Carolina.

First-year earnings$35,79852nd percentile of 504 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,14565% more than year one

Median federal debt$30,00012th lowest of 12 South Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings84%South Carolina median 78%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	USC Upstate	South Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,798	$33,782	$35,484
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,145	$58,761	$61,481
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,000	$26,825	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	84%	78%	65%
Programs compared		12	504

Five years out, USC Upstate graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the South Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every South Carolina political science program

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

USC UpstateOther South Carolina 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

USC Upstate grads, year 1$35,798

USC Upstate grads, year 5$59,145

All South Carolina political science grads, year 5$58,761

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 $318 a month, or 10.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (17 of 19) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Spartanburg area are about 9% below the national average, so a $35,798 salary here buys what about $39,316 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

$62,580

Median pay in South Carolina. 16,080 people work in this job in South 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.

Bottom 10%: $48,740Top 10%: $80,700

Social Science Research Assistants

$64,490

Median pay in South Carolina. 500 people work in this job in South 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.

Bottom 10%: $48,200Top 10%: $130,300

Economists

$124,720

Median 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

$142,080

Median 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 USC Upstate

In-state tuition and fees	$11,588 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,090 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,557 / year
Admission rate	67%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	4,038

Political Science ranks 9th of 16 bachelor's programs at USC Upstate by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,849), Computer and Information Science ($49,999), and Information Science ($48,664).

Other political science bachelor's programs near Spartanburg

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
USC UpstateSpartanburg, SC · public		$35,798	$30,000
Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, SC · private nonprofit	3 mi	$34,277	$26,825
Furman UniversityGreenville, SC · private nonprofit	27 mi	$34,473	$27,000
Presbyterian CollegeClinton, SC · private nonprofit	37 mi	$34,712	$27,000
Winthrop UniversityRock Hill, SC · public	53 mi	$21,165	$27,000
Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	54 mi	$28,041	$21,000
UNC AshevilleAsheville, NC · public	54 mi	$23,964	$25,821

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,798 one year after graduating and $59,145 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in South Carolina is $33,782.

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 South 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

Political Science bachelor's programs in South Carolina, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All USC Upstate programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt