USC International Relations (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in International Relations and National Security Studies
- Private nonprofit university
- Los Angeles, CA
- About 145 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
USC international relations graduates earn more than graduates of most international relations programs nationally, $52,262 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,765 in federal loans, less than at 93% of international relations programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying international relations degrees in California.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all international relations bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, USC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $20,655 more than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California international relations program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California 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 68% 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 $8,453 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. 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 $146 a month, or 3.4% 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, 58 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $34,450.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
65% of graduates (86 of 133) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $52,262 salary here buys what about $46,019 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 international relations, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
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 USC
International Relations ranks 19th of 43 bachelor's programs at USC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($137,284), Software and Media Applications ($103,071), and Real Estate ($98,763).
Other international relations bachelor's programs near Los Angeles
Common questions
The median graduate earns $52,262 one year after graduating and $87,675 five years after. The median across international relations bachelor's programs in California is $36,015.
The median federal loan balance is $13,765, which ranks 2nd lowest of 11 international relations bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $146 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 26% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 59%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.
Most do. 65% (86 of 133) were working in California 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 California 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 international relations 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