How much debt do Cal State East Bay sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,654, which ranks 29th lowest of 41 sociology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $198 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Cal State East Bay worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State East Bay Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State East Bay sociology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 96% (191 of 200) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Hayward, CA
About 186 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State East Bay sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $39,378 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,654 in federal loans, less than at 85% of sociology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$39,37884th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$61,00155% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,65429th lowest of 41 California programs

Debt-to-earnings47%California median 44%, national 72%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all sociology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State East Bay	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,378	$34,628	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$61,001	$56,549	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,654	$16,458	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	44%	72%
Programs compared		42	397

Five years out, Cal State East Bay graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,452 more than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California sociology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State East BayOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 55% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State East Bay grads, year 1$39,378

Cal State East Bay grads, year 5$61,001

All California sociology grads, year 5$56,549

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $13,274 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$38,189Median debt $20,466

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$51,463Median debt $13,062

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $198 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (184 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 26 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,296.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

96% of graduates (191 of 200) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Francisco area are about 16% above the national average, so a $39,378 salary here buys what about $34,060 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to sociology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

Sociologists

$125,770

Median pay in California. 590 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $85,030Top 10%: $161,710

About Cal State East Bay

In-state tuition and fees	$7,583 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,183 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,320 / year
Admission rate	97%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	48%
Undergraduate students	9,809

Sociology ranks 13th of 22 bachelor's programs at Cal State East Bay by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($124,392), Construction Management ($99,649), and Computer Science ($60,371).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Hayward

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State East BayHayward, CA · public		$39,378	$18,654
UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	19 mi	$40,774	$13,131
University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$36,183	$25,000
San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	24 mi	$40,763	$15,000
UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · public	46 mi	$28,495	$16,500
Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public	58 mi	$37,896	$18,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,378 one year after graduating and $61,001 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in California is $34,628.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the sociology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Sociology bachelor's programs in California, ranked42 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Cal State East Bay programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt