How much debt do UIC sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,315, which ranks 3rd lowest of 16 sociology bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $205 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from UIC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UIC sociology graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 98% (103 of 105) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Chicago, IL
About 70 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UIC sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $34,435 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,315 in federal loans, less than at 82% of sociology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying sociology degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$34,43552nd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,28452% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,3153rd lowest of 16 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Illinois median 74%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	UIC	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,435	$34,769	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,284	$52,015	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,315	$26,157	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	74%	72%
Programs compared		16	397

Five years out, UIC graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois sociology program

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

UICOther Illinois 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

UIC grads, year 1$34,435

UIC grads, year 5$52,284

All Illinois sociology grads, year 5$52,015

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 $205 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (133 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,200.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

98% of graduates (103 of 105) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $34,435 salary here buys what about $33,240 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

$64,890

Median pay in Illinois. 250 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $37,460Top 10%: $116,530

Sociologists

$140,770

Median pay in Illinois. 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%: $76,320Top 10%: $229,480

About UIC

In-state tuition and fees	$14,338 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,884 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,974 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	22,170

Sociology ranks 29th of 46 bachelor's programs at UIC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($78,040), Nursing ($75,045), and Electrical Engineering ($72,926).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Chicago

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UICChicago, IL · public		$34,435	$19,315
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	1 mi	$33,644	$24,500
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	8 mi	$36,686	$17,457
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$34,004	$22,250
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$31,657	$27,000
Chicago StateChicago, IL · public	11 mi	$42,687	$38,087
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$35,103	$27,000
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$38,402	$14,567
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	22 mi	$35,334	$24,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,435 one year after graduating and $52,284 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Illinois is $34,769.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked16 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All UIC programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt