Political Science and Government at Azusa Pacific University

California's political science programs produce wildly different outcomes, with grads at Stanford and Santa Clara clearing $55,000 right away while others struggle near $35,000. For Azusa Pacific, we're working with estimated first-year earnings of $35,297 based on similar California programs, which aligns almost exactly with the state and national medians. The more reliable four-year number of $54,456 suggests meaningful salary growth, potentially putting graduates closer to the top performers after gaining experience.

The $26,500 debt load sits above California's typical $17,500 for political science majors but remains manageable relative to first-year earnings—a 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio is solid for a bachelor's degree, and the program ranks in the 15th percentile nationally for debt burden, meaning it's less expensive than 85% of political science programs. That matters when you're looking at careers in government, nonprofits, or law school prep where starting salaries rarely impress but long-term trajectories can.

The real question is whether this program opens doors comparable to its UC and CSU competitors at a higher price point. If your child is certain about political science and building networks through Azusa Pacific's Christian liberal arts environment matters to them, the debt picture won't sink them. But if they're still exploring or could get similar career outcomes from a less expensive public option, banking that $9,000 difference in debt could prove smarter than betting on estimated earnings figures we can't fully verify.