Political Science and Government at Wartburg College

Based on comparable programs in Iowa, a political science bachelor's from Wartburg appears financially manageable, with estimated debt of $21,138 against first-year earnings around $36,662. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.58 is actually better than the national median for this major, where graduates typically carry $23,500 in loans. The earnings estimate aligns with Iowa's median for political science programs, placing Wartburg in the middle of the state's range—below Iowa's flagship public universities but well above some peer institutions.

The challenge with this program is that we're working entirely with estimates derived from similar Iowa programs, not actual outcomes for Wartburg's political science graduates. The small sample size that necessitates this estimation could reflect limited recent graduates, which might matter if you're concerned about departmental resources or alumni networking. That said, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable proportions: taking on roughly seven months of salary in debt for a liberal arts degree is far from disastrous, especially at a school with a 99% admission rate that serves as an accessible entry point to higher education.

The practical takeaway: if your child is set on political science at a small Iowa college, these estimates suggest Wartburg won't produce crushing debt. But without actual graduate outcomes, you're betting on the pattern holding true—and in a field where career paths vary wildly, from law school to nonprofit work to campaigns, individual drive matters more than the institution's name.