How much debt do UMass Dartmouth criminology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 6 criminology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminology degree from UMass Dartmouth worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 64%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

UMass Dartmouth Criminology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMass Dartmouth criminology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 90% (94 of 105) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminology
Public university
North Dartmouth, MA
About 64 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Dartmouth criminology graduates earn about what criminology graduates earn nationally, $37,535 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,53550th percentile of 105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,64675% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0004th lowest of 6 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings72%Massachusetts median 65%, national 64%

How it compares

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

	UMass Dartmouth	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,535	$40,728	$37,476
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,646	$63,242	$54,271
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,674	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	65%	64%
Programs compared		6	105

Five years out, UMass Dartmouth graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,404 more than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts criminology program

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

UMass DartmouthOther 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 75% between the first and fifth year.

UMass Dartmouth grads, year 1$37,535

UMass Dartmouth grads, year 5$65,646

All Massachusetts criminology grads, year 5$63,242

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 $5,445 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,622Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$40,067Median debt $26,826

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (92 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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, 48 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,297.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (94 of 105) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $37,535 salary here buys what about $36,881 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 criminology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

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 Dartmouth

In-state tuition and fees	$15,612 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$32,567 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,927 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	5,221

Criminology ranks 16th of 25 bachelor's programs at UMass Dartmouth by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($79,857), Computer Engineering ($79,383), and Computer and Information Science ($77,970).

Other criminology bachelor's programs near North Dartmouth

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA · public		$37,535	$27,000
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$40,928	$25,000
Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	49 mi	$36,824	$26,348
Lasell UniversityNewton, MA · private nonprofit	51 mi	$40,527	$27,000
Framingham StateFramingham, MA · public	51 mi	$41,431	$25,974

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,535 one year after graduating and $65,646 five years after. The median across criminology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $40,728.

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 criminology 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

Criminology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Criminology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked105 programs by pay and debt All UMass Dartmouth programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt