How much debt do UMKC sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,799, which ranks the lowest of 8 sociology bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $221 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from UMKC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 57% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%.

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

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Kansas City, MO
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMKC sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $36,810 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,799 in federal loans, less than at 76% of sociology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in Missouri.

First-year earnings$36,81072nd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,08228% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,799The lowest of 8 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings57%Missouri median 82%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	UMKC	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,810	$34,164	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,082	$45,553	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,799	$25,191	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	57%	82%	72%
Programs compared		8	397

Five years out, UMKC graduates earn less than the national figure but about $1,529 more than the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri sociology program

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

UMKCOther Missouri 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 28% between the first and fifth year.

UMKC grads, year 1$36,810

UMKC grads, year 5$47,082

All Missouri sociology grads, year 5$45,553

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 $221 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Kansas City area are about 7% below the national average, so a $36,810 salary here buys what about $39,776 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

$65,940

Median pay in Missouri. 750 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $39,250Top 10%: $79,860

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 UMKC

In-state tuition and fees	$12,587 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$30,227 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,310 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	6,817

Sociology ranks 17th of 22 bachelor's programs at UMKC by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,086), Nursing ($71,150), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,072).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Kansas City

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMKCKansas City, MO · public		$36,810	$20,799
University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	36 mi	$42,703	$23,001
University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO · public	49 mi	$28,238	$24,100

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,810 one year after graduating and $47,082 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Missouri is $34,164.

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 Missouri 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 Missouri, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All UMKC programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt