Bachelor's · Chattanooga, Tennessee
Is Political Science and Government at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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 4.2 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $42,273
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $68,372
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $15,000
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $64k (likely $64k – $85k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $30k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in TN
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 4.2 years (likely 3.3–5.3)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $38k (likely −$36k – $132k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $411k (likely $261k – $622k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 56%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
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 The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$131,034
- Engineering-Related Fields (Master's)$121,621
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$113,297
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$106,796
- Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's)$92,900
- Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's)$92,511
- Psychology, General (Master's)$91,747
- Civil Engineering (Bachelor's)$91,615
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$91,432
- Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$89,407
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$86,537
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$82,644
Political Science and Government at other schools in Tennessee
- Vanderbilt University$102,789
- The University of the South$72,682
- Rhodes College$72,062
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$60,073
- Tennessee State University$54,008
- The University of Tennessee-Martin$52,029
- Middle Tennessee State University$50,169
- University of Memphis$50,070
- Tennessee Technological University$49,898
- Austin Peay State University$48,840