# Colby College: Political Science (bachelor's)

Waterville, ME. IPEDS 161086, CIP 45.10. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/colby-college/majors/political-science

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $54,353
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $96,621 (U.S. median for this major: $61,935 across 561 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $27,000 (U.S. median $23,457)
- Rank in ME: 1 of 5 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the ME median for this major (5 colleges, $80,714): +$15,907
- Versus the U.S. median: +$34,686

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.11 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $96,621 minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in ME (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,049 | $16,641 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $1,251 | $5,142 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $3,666 | $15,067 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $12,106 | $49,756 | under 1 year |
| 110k+ | $46,511 | $191,160 | 3.2 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Political Science at ME colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby College | $96,621 | $27,000 | $17,180 | 89% |
| Bowdoin College | $89,253 | $19,634 | $14,398 | 95% |
| Bates College | $80,714 | $11,532 | $29,351 | 90% |
| University of Southern Maine | $65,836 | $19,212 | $13,596 | 40% |
| University of Maine | $58,303 | $26,798 | $17,510 | 55% |

## Careers
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (SOC 25-2031): median wage not reported metro, $64,880 ME, $72,040 U.S.; U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035
- Social Science Research Assistants (SOC 19-4061): median wage not reported metro, $50,650 ME, $61,990 U.S.; U.S. jobs 5% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).