UTEP Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
- Public university
- El Paso, TX
- About 62 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UTEP political science graduates earn less than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $26,182 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,097 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Several Texas programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all political science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, UTEP graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,358 less than the Texas median. Several Texas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas political science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas 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 74% between the first and fifth year.
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 $224 a month, or 10.3% 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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
88% of graduates (38 of 43) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the El Paso area are about 10% below the national average, so a $26,182 salary here buys what about $29,120 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
$63,590Median pay in Texas. 111,660 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$58,070Median pay in Texas. 1,180 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$121,420Median pay in Texas. 560 people work in this job in Texas. 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
$114,050Median pay in Texas. 160 people work in this job in Texas. 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 UTEP
Political Science ranks 29th of 39 bachelor's programs at UTEP by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($74,285), Computer and Information Science ($73,311), and Nursing ($72,429).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $26,182 one year after graduating and $45,528 five years after. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Texas is $34,415.
The median federal loan balance is $21,097, which ranks 12th lowest of 26 political science bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $224 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 81% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.
Most do. 88% (38 of 43) were working in Texas 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 Texas 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