Bachelor's · Cleveland, Ohio

Is Political Science and Government at Case Western Reserve University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 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 6.7 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $48,310; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $82,118; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $22,042; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $189k (likely $189k – $216k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $44k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in OH; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 6.7 years (likely 5.0–9.5); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $6k (likely −$141k – $180k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $531k (likely $217k – $912k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 87%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26