How much debt do Seattle Pacific University sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 8 sociology bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Seattle Pacific University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 96% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Washington programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Seattle Pacific University sociology graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 77% (20 of 26) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Private nonprofit university
Seattle, WA
About 14 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Seattle Pacific University sociology graduates earn less than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $25,958 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Washington programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,9586th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,0005th lowest of 8 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings96%Washington median 65%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Seattle Pacific University	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,958	$34,496	$34,099
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$21,238	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	96%	65%	72%
Programs compared		8	397

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington sociology program

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

Seattle Pacific UniversityOther Washington programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 12.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (20 of 26) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $25,958 salary here buys what about $23,358 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

$50,420

Median pay in Washington. 450 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $45,530Top 10%: $75,720

Sociologists

$97,170

Median pay in Washington. 130 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $80,640Top 10%: $138,000

About Seattle Pacific University

Tuition and fees	$40,407 / year
Average net price after aid	$24,488 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	1,762

Sociology ranks 18th of 19 bachelor's programs at Seattle Pacific University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($82,557), Nursing ($81,671), and Electrical Engineering ($81,199).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Seattle

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Seattle Pacific UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit		$25,958	$25,000
University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	3 mi	$40,062	$19,286
Pacific Lutheran UniversityTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	35 mi	$35,317	$21,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,958 one year after graduating. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Washington is $34,496.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Seattle Pacific University programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt