Political Science and Government at Bradley University

Bradley's Political Science program shows an unusual pattern that merits careful scrutiny, though the small sample size (fewer than 30 graduates) means these figures might not be representative. Graduates start at $31,902—below both state and national medians—but four years out, earnings jump dramatically to $68,838. That's a 116% increase and well above typical outcomes for this major. The question is whether this reflects the program's genuine trajectory or simply noise from a handful of graduates who took unconventional career paths.

The debt picture is actually quite favorable: at $27,000, it's higher than the national median but still results in a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85. Among Illinois political science programs, this ranks around the 40th percentile for earnings—solidly middle-of-the-pack and nowhere near the elite outcomes at Northwestern or University of Chicago. The substantial earnings growth suggests graduates may be moving into management, law, or other professional roles after gaining initial experience.

Given the small sample, I'd want to see this pattern hold for multiple graduating classes before banking on it. If your child is considering Bradley for political science, ask the department about career trajectories: Are those later earnings coming from a few outliers, or do most graduates genuinely see this kind of progression? The starting salary is modest enough that a backup plan matters.