{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-11","license":"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).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis/majors/political-science","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":179867,"cip4":"45.10","school_slug":"washington-university-in-st-louis","major_slug":"political-science"},"school":{"name":"Washington University in St Louis","city":"St. Louis","state":"MO","control":"Private nonprofit","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis.json"},"major":{"name":"Political Science","area":"Social Sciences & Public Service","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":null,"median_earnings_4yr":90778,"median_debt":18500,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.204,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"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"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":561,"median_earnings_4yr":61935,"median_debt":23457},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":{"geography":"MO","colleges_reporting":11,"median_earnings_4yr":62576,"difference":28202},"us":{"colleges_reporting":561,"median_earnings_4yr":61935,"difference":28843},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.09,"finished_in_4_years":0.8731,"finished_within_6_years":0.9445,"cohort":1765,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":35438,"geography":"MO","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":7277,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":90778,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":1716,"cost_to_finish":7018,"payback_years":0.1,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":1928,"cost_to_finish":7886,"payback_years":0.1,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":5578,"cost_to_finish":22814,"payback_years":0.4,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":12603,"cost_to_finish":51546,"payback_years":0.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"under 1 year"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":42170,"cost_to_finish":172475,"payback_years":3.1,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"3.1 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. In-state net price for public colleges.","method_url":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value"},"state_rank":{"rank":1,"of":11,"by":"median earnings 4 years after graduating"},"state_comparison":[{"ipeds_unitid":179867,"name":"Washington University in St Louis","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":90778,"median_debt":18500,"net_price_average":21786,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.943,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":179159,"name":"Saint Louis University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":67287,"median_debt":25000,"net_price_average":24398,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.795,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/saint-louis-university/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":179557,"name":"Southeast Missouri State University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":66799,"median_debt":19500,"net_price_average":15882,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.579,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/southeast-missouri-state-university/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":178396,"name":"University of Missouri-Columbia","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":64747,"median_debt":22517,"net_price_average":20268,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.749,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-missouri-columbia/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":176965,"name":"University of Central Missouri","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":63965,"median_debt":23678,"net_price_average":14462,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.541,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-central-missouri/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":178341,"name":"Missouri Southern State University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":62576,"median_debt":null,"net_price_average":12007,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.416,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/missouri-southern-state-university"},{"ipeds_unitid":178615,"name":"Truman State University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":60586,"median_debt":26649,"net_price_average":12780,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.685,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/truman-state-university/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":178420,"name":"University of Missouri-St Louis","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":60016,"median_debt":25250,"net_price_average":15071,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.566,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-missouri-st-louis/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":179566,"name":"Missouri State University-Springfield","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":58014,"median_debt":20500,"net_price_average":17613,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.579,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/missouri-state-university-springfield/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":177968,"name":"Lindenwood University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":55869,"median_debt":24022,"net_price_average":19638,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.493,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/lindenwood-university/majors/political-science"},{"ipeds_unitid":178402,"name":"University of Missouri-Kansas City","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":51417,"median_debt":13102,"net_price_average":13310,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.555,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-missouri-kansas-city/majors/political-science"}],"careers":[{"soc":"25-2031","title":"Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education","median_wage_metro":62130,"metro":"St. Louis, MO-IL","median_wage_state":59240,"median_wage_us":72040,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":-0.2,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"},{"soc":"19-4061","title":"Social Science Research Assistants","median_wage_metro":null,"metro":"St. Louis, MO-IL","median_wage_state":65940,"median_wage_us":61990,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":5,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"}],"school_context":{"net_price_average":21786,"net_price_by_family_income":{"0-30k":1716,"30-48k":1928,"48-75k":5578,"75-110k":12603,"110k+":42170},"acceptance_rate":0.121,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.943,"year":{"net_price":"AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25"}},"methodology":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score"}