Bachelor's · Hanover, New Hampshire
Is Political Science and Government at Dartmouth College worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.1 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $81,580
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $114,021
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $14,558
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $113k (likely $113k – $141k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $69k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NH
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 3.1 years (likely 2.7–3.7)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $320k (likely $212k – $419k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $1.13M (likely $890k – $1.37M)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 95%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Political Science and Government at other schools
⚖️ Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward law, government & society majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP U.S. Government and Politics
- AP U.S. History
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
IB Higher Level
- History HL
- Global Politics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at Dartmouth College
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$239,178
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$206,607
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$201,702
- Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's)$186,380
- Mathematics (Bachelor's)$168,580
- Economics (Bachelor's)$152,929
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's)$143,067
- History (Bachelor's)$136,403
- Public Health (First professional)$116,416
- Engineering Science (Bachelor's)$113,749
- Medicine (First professional)$104,011
- Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's)$99,344
Political Science and Government at other schools in New Hampshire
- Saint Anselm College$80,763
- University of New Hampshire-Main Campus$64,762
- Southern New Hampshire University$62,387
- Keene State College$47,015