University of Utah Political Science: earnings, debt & careers

Political Science graduates of University of Utah earn a median $68,490 four years after graduating ($45,112 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $18,370. That is $6,555 above the U.S. median for Political Science graduates ($61,935 across 561 colleges), and ranks 3rd of 4 Utah colleges (2nd of 2 among colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees).

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$68,490

U.S. median for this major: $61,935.

College Scorecard field of study; 74 graduates with earnings reported

Earnings, 1 year after
$45,112

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$18,370

About 27% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $23,457.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$16,200 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $25,557. College Scorecard.

University of Utah Political Science: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

University of Utah graduates$68,490
Utah median (4 colleges)$69,600 (−$1,110)
U.S. median (561 colleges)$61,935 (+$6,555)

Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.

Political Science nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses University of Utah's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$13,123$60,3662.0 years
$30–48k$13,424$61,7502.1 years
$48–75k$14,246$65,5322.2 years
$75–110k$17,663$81,2502.7 years
$110k+$21,533$99,0523.3 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.6 years, the average time graduates took (34% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Political Science graduates 4 years after graduating ($68,490) minus $38,580 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in UT (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $29,910 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.

Political Science at Utah colleges

Every Utah college we cover that reports Political Science graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Brigham Young University$83,209$11,745$15,56481%
2Utah State Universitybachelor's & associate$70,711$17,581$14,93659%
3University of Utah$68,490$18,370$16,20065%
4Utah Valley Universitybachelor's & associate$61,464$21,413$6,37645%

3 more Utah 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

Salt Lake City area$77,490
Utah$76,330
U.S.$72,040

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Social Science Research Assistants

U.S.$61,990

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 Utah, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About University of Utah

Related majors at University of Utah

University of Utah Political Science questions

How much do University of Utah Political Science graduates earn?

Political Science graduates of University of Utah earn a median $68,490 four years after graduating and $45,112 one year after. The U.S. median for Political Science graduates across 561 colleges is $61,935.

How much debt do University of Utah Political Science graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Political Science graduates of University of Utah is $18,370, about 27% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $23,457.

Is University of Utah a good school for Political Science in Utah?

On pay, Political Science graduates of University of Utah earn $68,490 four years out, $1,110 below the median for the same major across 4 Utah colleges ($69,600) and $6,555 above the U.S. median ($61,935). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does University of Utah rank for Political Science in Utah?

Of 4 Utah colleges reporting Political Science graduate earnings, University of Utah ranks 3rd; among the 2 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 2nd. The highest is Brigham Young University at $83,209.

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 $77,490 in the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 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 Utah Political Science: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-utah/majors/political-science (College Scorecard and BLS data).