Political Science and Government at College of the Holy Cross

Holy Cross political science graduates earn substantially more than the typical program nationally—95th percentile—but that distinction matters less when you zoom in on Massachusetts. Here, the program sits at the 60th percentile, trailing the state's elite liberal arts colleges and universities by $10,000-$20,000 in first-year earnings. At $47,000 starting and $69,000 by year four, graduates do well enough, just not as well as those same credentials might achieve at peer institutions in the state.

The debt picture is more straightforward: $27,000 is manageable, especially with strong earnings growth that pushes income up 46% within four years. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57 means graduates owe about seven months of their first-year salary—reasonable by any measure. Families paying Holy Cross's selective liberal arts premium should know they're getting solid outcomes, just not the standout results you might expect from a 21% acceptance rate school.

The real question is whether the Holy Cross brand and network justify the investment when other Massachusetts schools produce higher-earning political science graduates. If your child wants the small college experience and strong alumni connections Holy Cross provides, the financial outcomes won't derail their career. But purely as an earnings play, this program doesn't outperform the Massachusetts field the way its admissions selectivity might suggest.