Columbia University Other Social Sciences (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Social Sciences, Other
- Private nonprofit university
- New York, NY
- About 37 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Columbia University other social sciences graduates earn about what other social sciences graduates earn nationally, $34,845 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all other social sciences bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Columbia University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $16,862 more than the New York median.
Debt and first-year pay at every New York other social sciences program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.
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 118% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 9.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
42% of graduates (16 of 38) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $34,845 salary here buys what about $30,956 buys in a typical US city.
About Columbia University
Other Social Sciences ranks 23rd of 26 bachelor's programs at Columbia University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($118,636), Operations Research ($110,457), and Computer Engineering ($102,083).
Other other social sciences bachelor's programs near New York
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,845 one year after graduating and $76,126 five years after. The median across other social sciences bachelor's programs in New York is $35,772.
The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 7 other social sciences bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 75% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 68%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.
Many leave. 42% (16 of 38) were working in New York one year after graduating.
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 New York 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 other social sciences 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