How much debt do University of Tennessee sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,013, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 sociology bachelor's programs in Tennessee. That works out to about $212 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from University of Tennessee 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 20% or less.

University of Tennessee Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Tennessee sociology graduates stay in Tennessee?

Most do. 80% (79 of 99) were working in Tennessee one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Knoxville, TN
About 111 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Tennessee sociology graduates earn about what sociology graduates earn nationally, $35,723 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,013 in federal loans, less than at 80% of sociology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in Tennessee.

First-year earnings$35,72362nd percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,83940% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,0133rd lowest of 8 Tennessee programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Tennessee median 85%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	University of Tennessee	Tennessee	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,723	$33,261	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,839	$37,552	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,013	$25,245	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	85%	72%
Programs compared		8	397

Five years out, University of Tennessee graduates earn about the national figure and about $12,287 more than the Tennessee median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Tennessee sociology program

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

University of TennesseeOther Tennessee 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 40% between the first and fifth year.

University of Tennessee grads, year 1$35,723

University of Tennessee grads, year 5$49,839

All Tennessee sociology grads, year 5$37,552

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 $5,359 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,711Median debt $21,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$39,070Median debt $18,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $212 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (93 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, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $38,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

80% of graduates (79 of 99) were working in Tennessee one year after graduating. Prices in the Knoxville area are about 7% below the national average, so a $35,723 salary here buys what about $38,591 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

$46,410

Median pay in Tennessee. 140 people work in this job in Tennessee. 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%: $33,120Top 10%: $58,500

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 University of Tennessee

In-state tuition and fees	$13,812 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$33,256 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,976 / year
Admission rate	42%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	30,418

Sociology ranks 35th of 55 bachelor's programs at University of Tennessee by first-year earnings. The top three are Chemical Engineering ($76,302), Electrical Engineering ($75,316), and Computer Engineering ($74,085).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,723 one year after graduating and $49,839 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Tennessee is $33,261.

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All University of Tennessee programs, ranked55 programs by pay and debt