Political Science and Government at The College of Wooster

Wooster's political science program places graduates above the middle of the pack both nationally (67th percentile) and in Ohio (60th percentile), with first-year earnings of $38,727—though that's still $7,700 behind Miami University-Oxford, the state's top performer. More impressive is the debt picture: at $27,000, Wooster ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally for debt burden, meaning 95% of comparable programs leave students with more debt. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 is manageable, translating to monthly payments around $300 on a standard ten-year plan—roughly 9% of gross income.

The 13% earnings growth to year four is modest but steady, reaching $43,917. That trajectory suggests political science graduates here aren't breaking into especially high-paying fields, but they're building stable career foundations. For a liberal arts degree at a selective college (average SAT of 1370), these are realistic outcomes—political science rarely produces blockbuster salaries, but Wooster does better than most while keeping debt reasonable.

The math works if your child values Wooster's academic environment and plans to leverage political science into law school, public service, or corporate roles where the degree serves as a foundation rather than direct job training. Just understand they'll likely need graduate education or strategic networking to significantly boost earnings beyond the mid-40s.