How much debt do Nicholls State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,074, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 sociology bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Nicholls State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Nicholls State sociology graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 90% (26 of 29) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Thibodaux, LA
About 11 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Nicholls State sociology graduates earn less than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $30,583 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,074 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in Louisiana.

First-year earnings$30,58324th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$39,63430% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0744th lowest of 5 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings85%Louisiana median 92%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Nicholls State	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,583	$27,846	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$39,634	$42,883	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,074	$25,621	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	85%	92%	72%
Programs compared		5	397

Five years out, Nicholls State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $3,249 less than the Louisiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana sociology program

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

Nicholls StateOther Louisiana 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 30% between the first and fifth year.

Nicholls State grads, year 1$30,583

Nicholls State grads, year 5$39,634

All Louisiana sociology grads, year 5$42,883

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 $276 a month, or 10.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (26 of 29) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Houma area are about 15% below the national average, so a $30,583 salary here buys what about $35,936 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

$52,600

Median pay in Louisiana. 340 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $43,890Top 10%: $64,290

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 Nicholls State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,149 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$9,242 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,947 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	4,737

Sociology ranks 10th of 17 bachelor's programs at Nicholls State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($78,065), Mining and Petroleum Technology ($52,842), and Teacher Education ($46,549).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Thibodaux

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public		$30,583	$26,074
Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	42 mi	$26,581	$25,621
LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	48 mi	$27,846	$24,959

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,583 one year after graduating and $39,634 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $27,846.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Nicholls State programs, ranked18 programs by pay and debt