How much debt do UMass Amherst sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 20 sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from UMass Amherst worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do UMass Amherst sociology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 67% (26 of 39) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Amherst, MA
About 132 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Amherst sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $31,686 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,68630th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,70269% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0006th lowest of 20 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings79%Massachusetts median 72%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	UMass Amherst	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,686	$37,541	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,702	$55,998	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	79%	72%	72%
Programs compared		20	397

Five years out, UMass Amherst graduates earn more than the national figure but about $2,296 less than the Massachusetts median. Several Massachusetts programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts sociology program

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

UMass AmherstOther Massachusetts 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 69% between the first and fifth year.

UMass Amherst grads, year 1$31,686

UMass Amherst grads, year 5$53,702

All Massachusetts sociology grads, year 5$55,998

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$32,730Median debt $25,830

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,467Median debt $24,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 10.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (165 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	40–49%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

67% of graduates (26 of 39) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Amherst Town area are about the same as the national average.

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

$63,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,500Top 10%: $82,130

Sociologists

$106,530

Median pay in Massachusetts. 250 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $65,400Top 10%: $190,440

About UMass Amherst

In-state tuition and fees	$17,772 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$40,449 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,383 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	83%
Undergraduate students	23,671

Sociology ranks 36th of 45 bachelor's programs at UMass Amherst by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($89,327), Computer Science ($88,554), and Nursing ($81,452).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Amherst

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public		$31,686	$25,000
Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$35,252	$19,000
Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · private nonprofit	9 mi	$40,675	$21,000
Worcester StateWorcester, MA · public	36 mi	$33,636	$24,975
Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsNorth Adams, MA · public	36 mi	$38,631	$27,000
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	36 mi	$37,279	$27,000
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$36,583	$26,449
UConnStorrs, CT · public	42 mi	$31,913	$22,500
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	49 mi	$38,523	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,686 one year after graduating and $53,702 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $37,541.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All UMass Amherst programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt