How much debt do Emporia State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 sociology bachelor's programs in Kansas. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Emporia State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Kansas programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Emporia, KS
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Emporia State sociology graduates earn less than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $29,313 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Kansas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$29,31316th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,19454% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 5 Kansas programs

Debt-to-earnings92%Kansas median 87%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Emporia State	Kansas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,313	$38,075	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,194	$47,473	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	87%	72%
Programs compared		5	397

Five years out, Emporia State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,279 less than the Kansas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Kansas sociology program

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

Emporia StateOther Kansas 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 54% between the first and fifth year.

Emporia State grads, year 1$29,313

Emporia State grads, year 5$45,194

All Kansas sociology grads, year 5$47,473

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 $286 a month, or 11.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Kansas outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $29,313 salary here buys what about $34,117 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

$67,740

Median pay in Kansas. 170 people work in this job in Kansas. 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%: $43,140Top 10%: $67,740

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 Emporia State

In-state tuition and fees	$7,106 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$15,419 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,261 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	56%
Undergraduate students	2,239

Sociology ranks 14th of 15 bachelor's programs at Emporia State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($60,066), Information Science ($48,438), and Subject-Area Teacher Education ($43,954).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Emporia

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Emporia StateEmporia, KS · public		$29,313	$27,000
Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	58 mi	$42,985	$25,946

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,313 one year after graduating and $45,194 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Kansas is $38,075.

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 Kansas 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 Kansas, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Emporia State programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt