Political Science and Government at Augsburg University

Augsburg's political science program posts respectable first-year earnings of $37,807—about $2,700 above the Minnesota median and $2,200 above the national average for the major. Among Minnesota's 23 political science programs, this places Augsburg in the 60th percentile, trailing the state's flagship university and elite liberal arts colleges but performing solidly for a school with a 77% admission rate and substantial socioeconomic diversity (52% Pell recipients).

The debt picture is notably better than typical for this field. At $19,000, graduates carry about $4,000 less than the state median and $4,500 less than national norms. The resulting debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50 means manageable payments—roughly half of first-year salary, or about one year's earnings over a standard 10-year repayment period. For a field not known for high starting salaries, this matters considerably.

The significant caveat: fewer than 30 students were tracked, making these figures less reliable than programs with larger samples. A few outliers could skew the data meaningfully. Still, the combination of below-average debt and above-average earnings suggests Augsburg delivers reasonable value for political science students, particularly those who might struggle to access more selective programs. For families prioritizing affordability alongside career outcomes in public service or government work, this program appears to strike a workable balance.