Bachelor's-5% vs national median1,306 grads tracked
Political Science and Government at Northern Illinois University
Ranked 134th of 322 bachelor's programs in Political Science and Government by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,840
middle 50%: $25,869 – $49,323
Median · 5 years out
$59,339
middle 50%: $44,068 – $76,717
Median · 10 years out
$76,015
middle 50%: $54,907 – $105,568
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Political Science and Government (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Political Science graduates enter the workforce with a $36k median salary. This figure climbs to $59k after five years.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
7.3 yrs
≈ $8,777 total interest
Same major at other universities
Bethel University
$59,673 · 5 yrs out
State University of New York at New Paltz
$59,600 · 5 yrs out
Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
$59,543 · 5 yrs out
University of Alabama in Huntsville
$59,517 · 5 yrs out
Southern Connecticut State University
$59,517 · 5 yrs out
State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego)
$59,452 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota Duluth
$59,269 · 5 yrs out
Colorado State University
$59,253 · 5 yrs out
Fitchburg State University
$59,253 · 5 yrs out
Missouri State University
$59,232 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at El Paso
$59,177 · 5 yrs out
Sam Houston State University
$59,116 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Northern Illinois University
Education (Doctorate)
$119,874 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$115,599 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Master's)
$111,551 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$111,291 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$109,443 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Master's)
$102,156 · 5 yrs out
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's)
$97,392 · 5 yrs out
Psychology (Doctorate)
$97,297 · 5 yrs out
Public Administration and Social Service Professions (Master's)
$95,329 · 5 yrs out
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)
$95,041 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Master's)
$93,400 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Doctorate)
$92,787 · 5 yrs out