How much debt do Southern Connecticut State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 sociology bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Southern Connecticut State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 81% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Southern Connecticut State sociology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 91% (70 of 77) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
New Haven, CT
About 74 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern Connecticut State sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $32,013 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,01333rd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,53358% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0003rd lowest of 6 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings81%Connecticut median 83%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Southern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,013	$32,013	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,533	$55,614	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	81%	83%	72%
Programs compared		7	397

Five years out, Southern Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure but about $5,081 less than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut sociology program

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

Southern Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 58% between the first and fifth year.

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 1$32,013

Southern Connecticut State grads, year 5$50,533

All Connecticut sociology grads, year 5$55,614

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $6,022 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$30,687Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,709Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 10.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (46 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	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. Separately, 43 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $23,982.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (70 of 77) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the New Haven area are about 5% above the national average, so a $32,013 salary here buys what about $30,617 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

$60,110

Median pay in Connecticut. 50 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $35,860Top 10%: $88,270

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 Southern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,438 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,378 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,857 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	6,295

Sociology ranks 16th of 22 bachelor's programs at Southern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($87,795), Computer and Information Science ($58,480), and Special Education ($50,641).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near New Haven

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public		$32,013	$26,000
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	1 mi	$27,217	$43,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	27 mi	$33,724	$28,500
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	30 mi	$32,912	$21,250
Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	44 mi	$22,636	$20,670
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	44 mi	$35,124	$19,949
Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	45 mi	$31,551	$26,000
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	46 mi	$38,523	$26,000
UConnStorrs, CT · public	49 mi	$31,913	$22,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,013 one year after graduating and $50,533 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $32,013.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Southern Connecticut State programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt