Political Science and Government at York College of Pennsylvania

York College's Political Science program carries $27,000 in debt—remarkably low for a four-year degree and well below both the state median ($26,000) and national median ($23,500) for this major. That's the good news. The challenge is that first-year earnings estimates based on comparable Pennsylvania programs suggest around $37,500, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. While manageable, this means graduates would carry debt equivalent to nearly three-quarters of their first year's salary.

The earnings picture places York squarely in the middle of Pennsylvania's political science landscape, matching the state median. However, there's a substantial gap between York's estimated outcomes and the state's top performers—Penn and Lehigh graduates in this field earn $65,000 and $54,000 respectively in their first year. Political science tends to be a gateway degree where graduate school or specific career paths (law, public policy, advocacy work) determine long-term earning potential, so that first-year figure matters less than it might in other majors.

The real question for your student: what comes after graduation? If they're planning law school or a master's degree, starting with just $27,000 in debt provides crucial financial flexibility. If they're heading straight to work in a field like campaign management or nonprofit advocacy—sectors where political science grads commonly land—that $37,500 starting salary means they'll need a tight budget while building experience, though the debt burden itself shouldn't be crushing.