Political Science and Government at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 85 graduates a year

$37,003
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$81,843
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$63,293
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#36 of 565
Rank by pay
#72 of 565
Rank, wage-adjusted
$17,831
Median federal debt

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates in political science and government earn 29% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 22% of one year’s pay at that point.

How California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Compares for Political Science and Government

All 565 colleges reporting political science and government earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD$121,729$106,831#2—
2Dartmouth College Hanover, NH$106,153$97,778#5$72,618
3Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN$102,789$112,286#1$46,843
4Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$100,245$95,412#11$61,077
5Colby College Waterville, ME$96,621$102,683#3$54,353
6Harvard University Cambridge, MA$95,838$84,395#27$61,543
7Cornell University Ithaca, NY$95,391$90,792#17$60,292
8Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA$95,190$86,679#20—
9University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN$94,297$101,163#4$55,316
10Trinity College Hartford, CT$94,097$84,717#25$42,979
…
33Colgate University Hamilton, NY$83,188$79,178#42$56,064
34Villanova University Villanova, PA$83,179$84,594#26$46,549
35University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD$82,263$72,195#82$62,476
36California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$81,843$74,472#72$37,003
37Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD$81,575$71,592#92$44,572
38American Public University System Charles Town, WV$81,056$95,894#9$56,763
39New York University New York, NY$80,957$77,054#55$50,783

Other Majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$154,784$111,141#29 of 349
Computer Engineering$148,950$111,560#14 of 189
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$125,240$90,576#11 of 258
Construction Management$118,331$92,785#2 of 57
Industrial Engineering$112,797$87,226#6 of 94
Business Administration, Management and Operations$110,902$71,876#15 of 1176
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$109,232$81,186#12 of 118
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$107,498$85,509#8 of 59
Mechanical Engineering$106,750$83,011#15 of 318
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$102,702$82,197#2 of 46
Statistics$101,353—#14 of 50
Civil Engineering$101,072$80,673#8 of 233
Materials Engineering$100,599$74,496#3 of 34
Economics$98,927$67,501#71 of 368
Philosophy$98,592—#2 of 86
Physics$96,805—#10 of 107
Architectural Engineering$92,767$80,481#4 of 16
Agricultural Engineering$92,603$72,713#4 of 26
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians$89,195$78,938#9 of 51
Agricultural Business and Management$88,396$52,778#2 of 77
Agriculture$84,412$64,786#1 of 43
Mathematics$83,187$53,136#66 of 309
Plant Sciences$82,487$63,129#1 of 44
Agricultural Public Services$80,965$54,583#1 of 10
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$80,820$47,832#2 of 17
Graphic Communications$79,432$49,029#1 of 59
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$78,097$57,538#16 of 110
Agricultural Mechanization$78,080$73,053#3 of 10
Forestry$77,419$55,092#3 of 31
Architecture$76,613$60,634#8 of 78

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo political science and government graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $37,003 one year after graduating and $81,843 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rank for political science and government?

Among 565 colleges reporting earnings for political science and government graduates, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #36 by median pay four years after graduation, and #72 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is political science and government at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?

Its graduates earn 29% more than the national median for political science and government ($63,293), and the median federal debt at graduation is $17,831.

← All data for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.