U.S. median for this major: $61,935.
College Scorecard field of study
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 25% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $23,457.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $41,179. College Scorecard.
Political Science at California colleges
Every California college we cover that reports Political Science graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara University | $93,518 | $21,750 | $50,062 | 88% |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $81,843 | $17,665 | $16,665 | 86% |
| 3 | Pepperdine University | $75,954 | $23,625 | $58,098 | 83% |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley | $75,128 | $13,000 | $13,481 | 93% |
| 5 | University of Southern California | $75,090 | $12,869 | $32,740 | 92% |
| 6 | University of California-Los Angeles | $74,202 | $15,000 | $12,548 | 93% |
| 7 | Claremont McKenna College | $73,826 | — | $28,849 | 91% |
| 8 | Occidental College | $72,441 | $25,700 | $38,263 | 81% |
| 9 | Loyola Marymount University | $72,375 | $22,146 | $48,381 | 79% |
| 10 | University of San Francisco | $72,263 | $23,000 | $41,431 | 70% |
| 11 | California State University-East Bay | $71,022 | $19,544 | $9,320 | 48% |
| 12 | University of California-Santa Barbara | $70,384 | $16,485 | $16,109 | 83% |
| 13 | Chapman University | $68,856 | $20,741 | $46,555 | 82% |
| 14 | Pitzer College | $68,831 | — | $34,191 | 83% |
| 15 | University of California-Davis | $67,759 | $14,250 | $14,741 | 86% |
| 16 | University of California-San Diego | $67,713 | $16,030 | $12,470 | 86% |
| 17 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $65,890 | $16,782 | $17,890 | 75% |
| 18 | Biola University | $65,558 | $24,344 | $31,495 | 68% |
| 19 | Sonoma State University | $65,009 | $16,956 | $12,885 | 58% |
| 20 | San Diego State University | $64,824 | $17,068 | $15,364 | 76% |
| 21 | California Baptist University | $64,605 | $26,400 | $26,285 | 62% |
| 22 | University of Redlands | $64,353 | $26,000 | $30,031 | 67% |
| 23 | University of California-Irvine | $63,318 | $16,293 | $14,251 | 87% |
| 24 | University of La Verne | $63,107 | $22,000 | $20,161 | 63% |
| 25 | University of California-Merced | $62,815 | $17,500 | $11,983 | 69% |
| 26 | Saint Mary's College of California | $62,651 | $25,967 | $30,378 | 70% |
| 27 | University of San Diego | $62,301 | $26,000 | $30,365 | 84% |
| 28 | California State University-Fresno | $62,298 | $14,528 | $7,000 | 57% |
| 29 | San Francisco State University | $61,915 | $17,000 | $12,278 | 50% |
| 30 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | $61,712 | $15,000 | $11,531 | 68% |
| 31 | California State University-Chico | $61,293 | $20,423 | $14,480 | 63% |
| 32 | California State University-Sacramento | $60,278 | $16,084 | $9,338 | 56% |
| 33 | California Lutheran University | $60,243 | $21,125 | $30,109 | 70% |
| 34 | California State University-Long Beach | $59,787 | $14,928 | $10,440 | 69% |
| 35 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | $59,558 | $10,268 | $8,615 | 43% |
| 36 | California State University-Channel Islands | $58,306 | $15,000 | $9,849 | 51% |
| 37 | California State University-Northridge | $57,527 | $14,202 | $7,021 | 57% |
| 38 | University of California-Riverside | $56,740 | $18,300 | $14,304 | 76% |
| 39 | California State University-Stanislaus | $56,330 | $15,484 | $6,067 | 53% |
| 40 | California State University-Los Angeles | $56,063 | $10,614 | $3,967 | 53% |
| 41 | Whittier College | $55,853 | — | $25,757 | 60% |
| 42 | California State University-Fullerton | $53,966 | $15,000 | $6,555 | 70% |
| 43 | California State University-San Bernardino | $53,378 | $17,045 | $4,564 | 55% |
| 44 | California State University-Bakersfield | $51,882 | — | $5,652 | 50% |
| 45 | California State University-San Marcos | $50,857 | $19,485 | $10,229 | 55% |
| 46 | University of the Pacific | $50,827 | — | $25,447 | 69% |
| 47 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | $41,994 | $19,159 | $13,171 | 49% |
20 more California colleges offer Political Science but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Political Science graduates
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Social Science Research Assistants
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at University of California-Santa Cruz, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About University of California-Santa Cruz
- Acceptance rate: 66% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 75% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $68,396
- Full cost breakdown · all 57 majors · overview
Related majors at University of California-Santa Cruz
- Economics$76,382
- Sociology$55,338
- Anthropology$52,315
University of California-Santa Cruz Political Science questions
How much do University of California-Santa Cruz Political Science graduates earn?
Political Science graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz earn a median $65,890 four years after graduating and $31,882 one year after. The U.S. median for Political Science graduates across 561 colleges is $61,935.
How much debt do University of California-Santa Cruz Political Science graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Political Science graduates of University of California-Santa Cruz is $16,782, about 25% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $23,457.
Where does University of California-Santa Cruz rank for Political Science in California?
Of 47 California colleges reporting Political Science graduate earnings, University of California-Santa Cruz ranks 17th. The highest is Santa Clara University at $93,518.
What jobs do Political Science graduates get?
A common career is secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, with a median wage of $98,810 in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA area and $72,040 nationally. Others include social science research assistants.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of California-Santa Cruz Political Science: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz/majors/political-science (College Scorecard and BLS data).