Bachelor's+1% vs national median303 grads tracked
Political Science and Government at SUNY Cortland
Ranked 84th of 322 bachelor's programs in Political Science and Government by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,459
middle 50%: $25,729 – $48,315
Median · 5 years out
$63,044
middle 50%: $47,005 – $84,473
Median · 10 years out
$79,787
middle 50%: $61,054 – $109,112
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 and Government majors earn a $35k median salary in their first year. Ten-year pay reaches nearly $80k.
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
7.1 yrs
≈ $8,504 total interest
Same major at other universities
University of Texas at Arlington
$63,301 · 5 yrs out
Texas Tech University
$63,247 · 5 yrs out
Ohio State University (The)
$63,237 · 5 yrs out
Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
$63,157 · 5 yrs out
University of Arizona (The)
$63,137 · 5 yrs out
Sweet Briar College
$63,105 · 5 yrs out
Roanoke College
$62,818 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
$62,818 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
$62,701 · 5 yrs out
Wofford College
$62,631 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Lehman College
$62,421 · 5 yrs out
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
$62,378 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at SUNY Cortland
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's)
$69,527 · 5 yrs out
Biology, General (Bachelor's)
$67,536 · 5 yrs out
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's)
$66,839 · 5 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's)
$66,741 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (Bachelor's)
$66,110 · 5 yrs out
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Bachelor's)
$65,986 · 5 yrs out
Education (Master's)
$65,697 · 5 yrs out
Criminology (Bachelor's)
$65,514 · 5 yrs out