How much debt do Emory University sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks the lowest of 12 sociology bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Emory University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 67% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Georgia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Emory University Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Sociology
Private nonprofit university
Atlanta, GA
About 42 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Emory University sociology graduates earn less than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $30,516 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, less than at 77% of sociology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Georgia median of $30,984.

First-year earnings$30,51623rd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,354114% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,500The lowest of 12 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings67%Georgia median 94%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Emory University	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,516	$30,984	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,354	$43,748	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,500	$28,875	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	67%	94%	72%
Programs compared		12	397

Five years out, Emory University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $21,607 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia sociology program

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

Emory UniversityOther Georgia 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 114% between the first and fifth year.

Emory University grads, year 1$30,516

Emory University grads, year 5$65,354

All Georgia sociology grads, year 5$43,748

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 $217 a month, or 8.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Atlanta 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

$66,620

Median pay in Georgia. 1,840 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $40,650Top 10%: $136,810

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 Emory University

Tuition and fees	$64,280 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,585 / year
Admission rate	11%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	91%
Undergraduate students	7,298

Sociology ranks 18th of 22 bachelor's programs at Emory University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($85,682), Computer Science ($80,623), and Nursing ($79,073).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Atlanta

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit		$30,516	$20,500
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	4 mi	$28,968	$31,000
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$31,391	$29,500
Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public	14 mi	$29,834	$40,687
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	23 mi	$36,212	$34,375
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	47 mi	$34,393	$28,875
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · public	55 mi	$30,576	$25,000
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	56 mi	$32,530	$20,625

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,516 one year after graduating and $65,354 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Georgia is $30,984.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Emory University programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt