MAJORS · 63 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a political science degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$296,268. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$296,268
across 607 bachelor’s programs · 53,114 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$258K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$134K ⟷ +$419K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
8.3%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$203K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$119K
Questions
- Is a political science degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 607 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Political Science is +$296,268 and the median is +$258,407. 8.3% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$133,927 and +$418,624.
- How long until a political science degree pays off?
- For Political Science, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 35. 8.3% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a political science major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Political Science graduates span +$133,927 to +$418,624 — a +$285K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Political Science: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/political-science