How much debt do Hamline University sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 sociology bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Hamline University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 80% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Hamline University sociology graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 92% (24 of 26) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Private nonprofit university
Saint Paul, MN
About 6 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hamline University sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $33,894 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$33,89448th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,73347% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 6 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings80%Minnesota median 63%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Hamline University	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,894	$40,540	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,733	$51,246	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	80%	63%	72%
Programs compared		6	397

Five years out, Hamline University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota sociology program

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

Hamline UniversityOther Minnesota 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 47% between the first and fifth year.

Hamline University grads, year 1$33,894

Hamline University grads, year 5$49,733

All Minnesota sociology grads, year 5$51,246

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 10.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (24 of 26) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $33,894 salary here buys what about $32,335 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

$44,920

Median pay in Minnesota. 300 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $38,080Top 10%: $68,070

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 Hamline University

Tuition and fees	$50,004 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,744 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	60%
Undergraduate students	1,776

Sociology ranks 11th of 14 bachelor's programs at Hamline University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($51,761), Chemistry ($50,007), and Communications ($42,201).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Saint Paul

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit		$33,894	$27,000
University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	3 mi	$38,972	$20,377
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	4 mi	$34,543	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,894 one year after graduating and $49,733 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $40,540.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Hamline University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt