Political Science and Government at Ohio Wesleyan University

The small sample size here is critical context, but the warning signs are hard to ignore: Ohio Wesleyan political science graduates are earning $27,165 one year out—about $10,000 less than the state median for this major and landing in just the 5th percentile nationally. When you're paying roughly a full year's salary in debt ($26,800) to earn less than many retail management positions, the math becomes difficult to justify. For comparison, political science graduates at Miami University earn $46,000, while Xavier and Capital grads both clear $39,000—suggesting Ohio Wesleyan's outcomes aren't simply reflecting the realities of the major itself.

The program does keep debt relatively controlled at $26,800, which is slightly above the national median for political science but fairly typical for Ohio. However, that's cold comfort when earnings are this low. A 0.99 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates are carrying nearly a full year's income in loans while earning wages that make repayment a real challenge, particularly if they're pursuing graduate school or public service careers common to political science majors.

Given the small cohort size, a few graduates in low-paying positions or continuing education could be skewing these numbers downward. But absent better data, families should recognize they might be paying Ohio Wesleyan's private school premium without seeing returns that justify the investment—at least based on the graduates tracked here. If your child is set on political science at a private Ohio college, programs like Xavier or Capital show significantly stronger earning outcomes.