How much debt do UMass Boston sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $28,750, which ranks 19th lowest of 20 sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $305 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from UMass Boston worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% 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 Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do UMass Boston sociology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 92% (46 of 50) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Boston, MA
About 51 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Boston sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $40,569 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $28,750 in federal loans, more than at 87% of sociology programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$40,56989th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,94438% more than year one

Median federal debt$28,75019th lowest of 20 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings71%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 Boston	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,569	$37,541	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,944	$55,998	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$28,750	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	72%	72%
Programs compared		20	397

Five years out, UMass Boston graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Massachusetts median.

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 BostonOther 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 38% between the first and fifth year.

UMass Boston grads, year 1$40,569

UMass Boston grads, year 5$55,944

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $305 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (114 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (46 of 50) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $40,569 salary here buys what about $37,472 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

$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 Boston

In-state tuition and fees	$15,908 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$38,125 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,707 / year
Admission rate	84%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	49%
Undergraduate students	11,512

Sociology ranks 14th of 22 bachelor's programs at UMass Boston by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($82,118), Nursing ($79,672), and Computer and Information Science ($58,909).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Boston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass BostonBoston, MA · public		$40,569	$28,750
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$41,624	$27,000
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$37,802	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$38,457	$26,750
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$48,091	$19,000
Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$47,859	$15,000
Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$45,287	$27,000
Salem StateSalem, MA · public	15 mi	$39,822	$30,690
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$32,057	$26,980

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,569 one year after graduating and $55,944 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 Boston programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt