Political Science and Government at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Bachelor's Degree · about 200 graduates a year

$42,114
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$75,687
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$63,293
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#59 of 565
Rank by pay
#128 of 565
Rank, wage-adjusted
$23,500
Median federal debt

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduates in political science and government earn 20% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 31% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 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
…
56Stonehill College Easton, MA$76,123$67,034#155$45,195
57The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX$75,988$77,258#54$43,281
58Pepperdine University Malibu, CA$75,954$69,113#124$42,306
59Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA$75,687$68,920#128$42,114
60Providence College Providence, RI$75,637$74,495#71$43,911
61St Lawrence University Canton, NY$75,486$71,847#87$35,977
62Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX$75,419$76,679#58$50,627

Other Majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$144,103$96,432#19 of 459
Computer Engineering$122,026$86,636#33 of 189
Applied Mathematics$117,990$82,275#8 of 45
Industrial Engineering$116,641$82,437#5 of 94
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$108,726$77,877#16 of 126
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$106,633$76,856#9 of 59
Chemical Engineering$106,011$82,382#25 of 158
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$104,839$83,364#63 of 258
Finance and Financial Management Services$102,902$66,601#38 of 452
Construction Engineering$102,699$82,627#5 of 13
Engineering Mechanics$101,509$81,735—
Accounting and Related Services$99,528$70,303#54 of 796
Mechanical Engineering$96,376$78,280#70 of 318
Real Estate$95,576$68,078#7 of 25
Business/Managerial Economics$95,271—#13 of 84
Construction Management$95,165$76,246#23 of 57
Mining and Mineral Engineering$94,397$74,793#5 of 7
Statistics$94,300$62,598#20 of 50
Physics$92,746$58,061#18 of 107
Economics$92,653$56,261#92 of 368
Materials Engineering$90,828$66,888#20 of 34
Agricultural Engineering$88,315$75,434#8 of 26
Civil Engineering$88,142$74,285#73 of 233
Marketing$86,338$56,417#43 of 516
Engineering-Related Fields$81,618$56,513#30 of 33
Food Science and Technology$80,161$56,274#5 of 29
Business Administration, Management and Operations$80,023$60,678#140 of 1176
Architecture$75,074$56,708#12 of 78
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,005$25,414#1 of 50
Chemistry$73,395$45,513#49 of 209

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University political science and government graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $42,114 one year after graduating and $75,687 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University rank for political science and government?

Among 565 colleges reporting earnings for political science and government graduates, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks #59 by median pay four years after graduation, and #128 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is political science and government at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 20% more than the national median for political science and government ($63,293), and the median federal debt at graduation is $23,500.

← All data for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · 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.