Which Oregon political science program has the lowest debt?

University of Oregon reports the lowest median federal debt, $20,183, with first-year pay of $36,022.

How much do political science graduates earn in Oregon?

The median across 6 Oregon political science bachelor's programs is $35,598 in the first year after graduating and $59,150 five years after.

How many political science bachelor's programs are in Oregon?

6 Oregon programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 5 of them also report federal debt.

Political Science (Bachelor's) Programs in Oregon, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

6 programs report first-year pay
5 also report federal debt
Bachelor's in Political Science and Government

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median Oregon political science bachelor's program pays its graduates $35,598 in their first year, $114 more than the national median. Oregon State reports the highest first-year pay ($39,157), and University of Oregon the lowest median debt ($20,183).

Median first-year pay$35,598National $35,484

Median pay after 5 years$59,150National $61,481

Median federal debt$23,818National $23,500

Debt-to-earnings62%National 65%

All 6 programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Oregon StateCorvallis · public	$39,157	$59,150	$24,260	62%
2	Lewis & Clark CollegePortland · private nonprofit	$38,784	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
3	University of OregonEugene · public	$36,022	$69,621	$20,183	56%
4	Portland StatePortland · public	$35,173	$50,807	$23,818	68%
5	Willamette UniversitySalem · private nonprofit	$35,162	$67,123	$21,331	61%
6	University of PortlandPortland · private nonprofit	$23,017	$58,509	$24,250	105%

Lewis & Clark College reports pay but not debt, so it is ranked only by pay.

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

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

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 5 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Oregon State$39,157
Lewis & Clark College$38,784
University of Oregon$36,022
Portland State$35,173
Willamette University$35,162

Lowest median debt

Lowest debt for the pay

"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.

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

$79,570

Median pay in Oregon. 11,730 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $49,640Top 10%: $101,310

Social Science Research Assistants

$56,770

Median pay in Oregon. 220 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $48,150Top 10%: $85,110

Economists

$122,120

Median pay in Oregon. 320 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $81,620Top 10%: $147,600

Political Scientists

$119,460

Median pay in Oregon. 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%: $107,230Top 10%: $119,460

Common questions

Oregon State in Corvallis reports the highest median first-year pay, $39,157. Its median federal debt is $24,260.

Political Science (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked504 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
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 Oregon rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Medians are across the political science bachelor's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.

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
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024