Political Science and Government at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Cal Poly Pomona's political science program has an unusual pattern: graduates start well below the poverty line at $28,000, but their earnings jump 63% to reach $45,750 by year four. That eventual outcome beats the California median ($35,297) and ranks in the state's 25th percentile, though the difficult first year places it in just the 12th percentile nationally among similar programs.

The $15,000 in debt is actually favorable—far below both the national ($23,500) and state ($17,500) medians for political science degrees. This matters because those rough first-year earnings become much more manageable when you're not servicing a large loan balance. By year four, when earnings have climbed into the mid-$40,000s, graduates are in decent shape financially.

The key question is whether families can bridge that first year or two. With nearly half of students receiving Pell grants, many Cal Poly Pomona families may struggle to subsidize a graduate earning $28,000 while living in Southern California. If your child can live at home or has other support during that transition period, the trajectory becomes more compelling—they'll eventually outpace most California peers in this field. But if they need to be financially independent immediately after graduation, that first-year figure is a real obstacle.