How much debt do Longwood University sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 11 sociology bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Longwood University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 89% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Virginia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Longwood University sociology graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 77% (27 of 35) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Farmville, VA
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Longwood University sociology graduates earn less than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $27,948 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Virginia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,94810th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,41691% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0006th lowest of 11 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings89%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.

	Longwood University	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,948	$37,946	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,416	$53,416	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,274	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	89%	68%	72%
Programs compared		11	397

Five years out, Longwood University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as 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.

Longwood UniversityOther 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 91% between the first and fifth year.

Longwood University grads, year 1$27,948

Longwood University grads, year 5$53,416

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 $265 a month, or 11.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $46,184.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (27 of 35) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Virginia outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $27,948 salary here buys what about $31,629 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 Longwood University

In-state tuition and fees	$15,744 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,978 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,066 / year
Admission rate	90%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	3,015

Sociology ranks 16th of 17 bachelor's programs at Longwood University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($78,085), Nursing ($69,962), and Business Administration ($49,213).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Farmville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Longwood UniversityFarmville, VA · public		$27,948	$25,000
UVACharlottesville, VA · public	51 mi	$45,786	$20,500
VCURichmond, VA · public	55 mi	$32,781	$26,285
Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland, VA · private nonprofit	60 mi	$39,656	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,948 one year after graduating and $53,416 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 Longwood University programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt