Political Science and Government at College of Saint Benedict

College of Saint Benedict's political science program deserves credit for one standout metric: the $27,000 median debt sits in the 5th percentile nationally, meaning 95% of comparable programs leave students with more debt. That's genuinely impressive debt management at a private liberal arts college. However, the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, so treat this as a directional signal rather than gospel.

The earnings picture is less compelling. At $35,104, graduates earn right at Minnesota's median for political science but trail the state's top programs by $3,000-5,000 annually. That gap compounds over time—a 10-year difference between this and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities could exceed $50,000. The 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, but only because debt is low; the earnings themselves aren't particularly strong for a degree that often requires graduate school for career advancement.

For families prioritizing affordability at a small Catholic college, this works—your child graduates with less debt than most political science majors. But if career earnings matter more, Minnesota's public flagships deliver better outcomes for likely lower in-state tuition. This makes sense if the fit and environment justify accepting mid-tier earnings potential, but it's not a program where the investment translates to outsized financial returns.