How much debt do Colorado State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 9 sociology bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Colorado State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 62% 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 Colorado programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Colorado State Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Colorado State sociology graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 82% (118 of 144) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Fort Collins, CO
About 145 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Colorado State sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $37,335 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,33575th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,68152% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,0004th lowest of 9 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings62%Colorado median 63%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Colorado State	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,335	$37,674	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,681	$52,935	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,000	$23,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	62%	63%	72%
Programs compared		10	397

Five years out, Colorado State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,746 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado sociology program

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

Colorado StateOther Colorado 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

Colorado State grads, year 1$37,335

Colorado State grads, year 5$56,681

All Colorado sociology grads, year 5$52,935

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $24,500 against $20,552.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,729Median debt $24,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,734Median debt $20,552

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 7.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (163 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, 61 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $38,628.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (118 of 144) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Fort Collins area are about 1% above the national average, so a $37,335 salary here buys what about $36,919 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

$50,430

Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $42,590Top 10%: $63,610

Sociologists

$106,030

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About Colorado State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,373 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$34,783 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,279 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	25,538

Sociology ranks 28th of 52 bachelor's programs at Colorado State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($78,856), Construction Engineering Technology ($78,423), and Electrical Engineering ($78,038).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Fort Collins

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public		$37,335	$23,000
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	23 mi	$36,077	$27,000
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	40 mi	$37,958	$17,819
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	58 mi	$42,022	$26,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	59 mi	$40,011	$31,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,335 one year after graduating and $56,681 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,674.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Colorado State programs, ranked52 programs by pay and debt