Political Science and Government at Kenyon College

Kenyon's political science program outperforms most competitors nationally, but within Ohio it sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. First-year earnings of $39,550 beat the national median by $4,000 and edge out the state median too, though they trail programs like Miami University by nearly $7,000. The 60th percentile ranking among Ohio schools suggests this is a solid choice—better than average, but not elite for in-state employment outcomes.

The financial picture looks manageable. At $18,354, typical debt runs about $7,000 below Ohio's median for political science programs and nearly $5,000 below the national figure. That 0.46 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe less than half their first-year salary, which is reasonable territory for a liberal arts degree. Earnings grow 11% by year four, showing graduates gain traction rather than plateau.

The major caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual career paths heavily influence these numbers. One graduate landing a competitive fellowship or another taking a year off for grad school prep can swing the averages noticeably. For a family paying Kenyon's private school premium, these outcomes seem acceptable but not exceptional—you're getting slightly above-average career positioning with below-average debt burden, which matters more than the raw earnings number for a degree that often leads to graduate school anyway.