International Relations and National Security Studies at Calvin University

Calvin University's International Relations program appears to land in the middle of Michigan's range for this field, where reported earnings span from $28,000 to nearly $39,000. The estimated $35,800 first-year salary from comparable Michigan programs sits right at the state median, though notably below the $38,810 at Michigan State. For context, this falls slightly short of the $37,200 national median for international relations degrees.

The estimated $21,500 in debt—derived from similar programs at private nonprofit institutions nationwide—creates a manageable 0.60 debt-to-earnings ratio. That's considerably better than the national median debt of $21,634 for this major, and significantly lower than Michigan's typical $24,766. You'd be looking at loan payments around $240 monthly on a standard plan, consuming roughly 8% of pre-tax income—a workable burden if your child lands near the expected salary range.

The challenge here is that international relations careers are notoriously variable and often require graduate degrees or specific internship connections to access higher-paying opportunities. Calvin's 14% Pell grant rate suggests limited socioeconomic diversity, which could mean stronger alumni networks in policy and nonprofit sectors. Given the estimation uncertainty and field volatility, confirm whether Calvin's program offers robust internship pipelines to DC, state government, or NGOs—those connections matter more than marginal salary differences in this major.