How much debt do George Mason sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,514, which ranks 3rd lowest of 11 sociology bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from George Mason worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 53% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Virginia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

George Mason Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do George Mason sociology graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 93% (28 of 30) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Fairfax, VA
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

George Mason sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $38,916 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,514 in federal loans, less than at 77% of sociology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying sociology degrees in Virginia.

First-year earnings$38,91682nd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$58,32150% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,5143rd lowest of 11 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings53%Virginia median 68%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	George Mason	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,916	$37,946	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$58,321	$53,416	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,514	$25,274	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	53%	68%	72%
Programs compared		11	397

Five years out, George Mason graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,905 more than the Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia sociology program

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

George MasonOther Virginia 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 50% between the first and fifth year.

George Mason grads, year 1$38,916

George Mason grads, year 5$58,321

All Virginia sociology grads, year 5$53,416

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 6.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (41 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

93% of graduates (28 of 30) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $38,916 salary here buys what about $35,741 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

$53,260

Median pay in Virginia. 700 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $42,550Top 10%: $83,760

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 George Mason

In-state tuition and fees	$14,220 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$38,688 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,915 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	27,752

Sociology ranks 36th of 51 bachelor's programs at George Mason by first-year earnings. The top three are Homeland Security ($90,956), Computer Engineering ($87,466), and Systems Engineering ($84,942).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Fairfax

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
George MasonFairfax, VA · public		$38,916	$20,514
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	22 mi	$34,150	$20,460
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	32 mi	$38,893	$30,835
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public	38 mi	$35,499	$23,500
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	43 mi	$39,435	$24,250
Morgan StateBaltimore, MD · public	52 mi	$31,470	$27,000
McDaniel CollegeWestminster, MD · private nonprofit	54 mi	$37,728	$25,000
Mount St. Mary's UniversityEmmitsburg, MD · private nonprofit	59 mi	$40,196	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,916 one year after graduating and $58,321 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Virginia is $37,946.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All George Mason programs, ranked51 programs by pay and debt