Is a political science degree from Western Colorado University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.

Western Colorado University Political Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Western Colorado University political science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 8 political science bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $254 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Public university
Gunnison, CO
About 12 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Colorado University political science graduates earn less than graduates of most political science programs nationally, $30,272 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,500. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,27220th percentile of 504 programs nationally

Median federal debt$24,0008th lowest of 8 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings79%Colorado median 54%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	Western Colorado University	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,272	$37,759	$35,484
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,000	$20,658	$23,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	79%	54%	65%
Programs compared		8	504

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado political science program

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

Western Colorado UniversityOther Colorado programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $254 a month, or 10.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Colorado outside metro areas are about 2% below the national average, so a $30,272 salary here buys what about $31,047 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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,430

Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $42,590Top 10%: $63,610

Economists

$121,410

Median pay in Colorado. 240 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.

Bottom 10%: $73,450Top 10%: $193,480

Political Scientists

$127,260

Median pay in Colorado. 30 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $80,010Top 10%: $197,490

About Western Colorado University

In-state tuition and fees	$11,318 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,434 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,425 / year
Admission rate	100%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	51%
Undergraduate students	1,586

Political Science ranks 6th of 10 bachelor's programs at Western Colorado University by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($53,403), Accounting ($47,204), and Sociology ($43,178).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,272 one year after graduating. The median across political science bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,759.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Political Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt All Western Colorado University programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt