Political Science and Government at Iona University

The small sample size here should give you pause, but the numbers it shows are genuinely alarming. Graduates earn $18,148 one year out—less than half what political science grads typically make in New York ($35,158) and ranking in just the 10th percentile statewide. That's barely above minimum wage earnings for full-time work. Meanwhile, the $27,000 debt burden, while not extreme, becomes problematic when paired with earnings that low, creating a debt-to-income ratio that would make any loan officer nervous.

To put this in perspective: the typical New York political science grad earns nearly twice as much, and elite programs in the state produce outcomes 3-4 times better. Even accounting for Iona's high admission rate (91%) and the modest academic profile of its student body, these outcomes suggest something is fundamentally broken—whether that's career services, alumni networks, or simply the types of initial employment graduates are finding. With fewer than 30 graduates in the data, it's possible this cohort had unusual circumstances, but that uncertainty itself is a red flag.

Unless your child has a full scholarship or compelling personal reasons to attend Iona specifically, this program looks like poor value. New York has 81 schools offering political science degrees, many with dramatically stronger outcomes. Given these numbers, you'd want extraordinary evidence that things have improved before considering this investment.