How much debt do Winona State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,687, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 sociology bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $230 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Winona State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%.

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

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Winona, MN
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Winona State sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $43,505 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,687 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in Minnesota.

First-year earnings$43,50595th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,9268% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,6872nd lowest of 6 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings50%Minnesota median 63%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Winona State	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,505	$40,540	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,926	$51,246	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,687	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	63%	72%
Programs compared		6	397

Five years out, Winona State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,320 less than the Minnesota median. Several Minnesota programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota sociology program

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

Winona StateOther Minnesota 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 8% between the first and fifth year.

Winona State grads, year 1$43,505

Winona State grads, year 5$46,926

All Minnesota sociology grads, year 5$51,246

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 $230 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Minnesota outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $43,505 salary here buys what about $50,674 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

$44,920

Median pay in Minnesota. 300 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $38,080Top 10%: $68,070

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 Winona State

In-state tuition and fees	$10,576 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,308 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,503 / year
Admission rate	75%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	5,144

Sociology ranks 17th of 27 bachelor's programs at Winona State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,313), Materials Engineering ($72,944), and Medical Laboratory Science ($65,883).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Winona

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Winona StateWinona, MN · public		$43,505	$21,687
UW-La CrosseLa Crosse, WI · public	26 mi	$33,529	$25,000
UW-Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI · public	52 mi	$30,111	$21,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,505 one year after graduating and $46,926 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $40,540.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Winona State programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt