How much debt do CU Boulder sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $17,819, which ranks the lowest of 9 sociology bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $189 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from CU Boulder worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Colorado programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

CU Boulder Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do CU Boulder sociology graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 77% (59 of 77) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Boulder, CO
About 191 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CU Boulder sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $37,958 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,819 in federal loans, less than at 87% of sociology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying sociology degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$37,95878th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,67057% more than year one

Median federal debt$17,819The lowest of 9 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Colorado median 63%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	CU Boulder	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,958	$37,674	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,670	$52,935	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$17,819	$23,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	63%	72%
Programs compared		10	397

Five years out, CU Boulder graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,735 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado sociology program

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

CU BoulderOther Colorado 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 57% between the first and fifth year.

CU Boulder grads, year 1$37,958

CU Boulder grads, year 5$59,670

All Colorado sociology grads, year 5$52,935

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $18,592 against $16,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$37,519Median debt $18,592

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,592Median debt $16,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $189 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (90 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

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, 27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $46,478.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (59 of 77) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Boulder area are about 5% above the national average, so a $37,958 salary here buys what about $36,081 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

$50,430

Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $42,590Top 10%: $63,610

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 CU Boulder

In-state tuition and fees	$15,666 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,918 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,346 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	31,939

Sociology ranks 24th of 39 bachelor's programs at CU Boulder by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($88,957), Computer Engineering ($86,211), and Aerospace Engineering ($81,835).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Boulder

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public		$37,958	$17,819
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	23 mi	$42,022	$26,000
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	29 mi	$40,011	$31,000
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	40 mi	$37,335	$23,000
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	41 mi	$36,077	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,958 one year after graduating and $59,670 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $37,674.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All CU Boulder programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt