How much debt do Frostburg State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 9 sociology bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Frostburg State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 84% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Maryland programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Frostburg State sociology graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 84% (31 of 37) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Frostburg, MD
About 6 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Frostburg State sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $32,165 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Maryland programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,16535th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,64185% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 9 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings84%Maryland median 74%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Frostburg State	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,165	$34,150	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,641	$57,122	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	84%	74%	72%
Programs compared		9	397

Five years out, Frostburg State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,520 more than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland sociology program

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

Frostburg StateOther Maryland 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 85% between the first and fifth year.

Frostburg State grads, year 1$32,165

Frostburg State grads, year 5$59,641

All Maryland sociology grads, year 5$57,122

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 10.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (46 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (31 of 37) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Maryland outside metro areas are about 7% below the national average, so a $32,165 salary here buys what about $34,498 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

$65,550

Median pay in Maryland. 700 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $47,260Top 10%: $113,020

Sociologists

$100,660

Median pay in Maryland. 50 people work in this job in Maryland. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $67,770Top 10%: $162,680

About Frostburg State

In-state tuition and fees	$10,220 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,814 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,715 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	2,909

Sociology ranks 14th of 21 bachelor's programs at Frostburg State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($82,617), Engineering ($62,968), and Computer Science ($54,349).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,165 one year after graduating and $59,641 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Maryland is $34,150.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Frostburg State programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt