How much debt do Eastern Connecticut State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 sociology bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Eastern Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 67% 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.

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

Q: Do Eastern Connecticut State sociology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 95% (54 of 57) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Willimantic, CT
About 34 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Eastern Connecticut State sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $38,523 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. One other Connecticut program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,52381st percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,99519% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0003rd lowest of 6 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings67%Connecticut median 83%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Eastern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,523	$32,013	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,995	$55,614	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	67%	83%	72%
Programs compared		7	397

Five years out, Eastern Connecticut State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,619 less than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut sociology program

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

Eastern Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 19% between the first and fifth year.

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 1$38,523

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 5$45,995

All Connecticut sociology grads, year 5$55,614

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 $8,426 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$37,429Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$45,855Median debt $24,221

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 8.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (102 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, 19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $20,500.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (54 of 57) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Norwich area are about the same as the national average.

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

$60,110

Median pay in Connecticut. 50 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $35,860Top 10%: $88,270

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 Eastern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,928 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,428 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,067 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	3,418

Sociology ranks 11th of 19 bachelor's programs at Eastern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($47,736), Teacher Education ($47,445), and Mathematics ($45,858).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Willimantic

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public		$38,523	$26,000
UConnStorrs, CT · public	6 mi	$31,913	$22,500
Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	24 mi	$22,636	$20,670
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	28 mi	$33,724	$28,500
Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$40,675	$21,000
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$36,583	$26,449
Worcester StateWorcester, MA · public	42 mi	$33,636	$24,975
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	44 mi	$37,279	$27,000
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	45 mi	$27,217	$43,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,523 one year after graduating and $45,995 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $32,013.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Eastern Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt