How much debt do St. John's University sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 33rd lowest of 35 sociology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from St. John's University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay.

St. John's University Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Sociology
Private nonprofit university
Queens, NY
About 9 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

St. John's University sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $38,216 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,21680th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,12944% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00033rd lowest of 35 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings71%New York median 67%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	St. John's University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,216	$33,500	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,129	$55,539	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,407	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	67%	72%
Programs compared		38	397

Five years out, St. John's University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York sociology program

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

St. John's UniversityOther New York 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 44% between the first and fifth year.

St. John's University grads, year 1$38,216

St. John's University grads, year 5$55,129

All New York sociology grads, year 5$55,539

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 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $38,216 salary here buys what about $33,951 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

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 3,040 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $35,520Top 10%: $103,080

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 St. John's University

Tuition and fees	$53,020 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,999 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	9,477

Sociology ranks 11th of 27 bachelor's programs at St. John's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($100,883), Management Science ($82,432), and Insurance ($70,752).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Queens

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
St. John's UniversityQueens, NY · private nonprofit		$38,216	$27,000
CUNY York CollegeJamaica, NY · public	1 mi	$40,515	$14,650
Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public	2 mi	$31,975	$15,750
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	9 mi	$30,246	$10,750
Hofstra UniversityHempstead, NY · private nonprofit	10 mi	$34,832	$25,968
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	10 mi	$28,825	$11,000
Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	10 mi	$32,511	$25,000
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	11 mi	$58,541	$31,000
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	11 mi	$22,697	$18,875

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,216 one year after graduating and $55,129 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in New York is $33,500.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked38 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All St. John's University programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt