Best Sociology Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

461

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$237,748

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$36,132

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	University of Dubuque Grad rate: 40.2%	IA	+$233,120	$63,868	$51,060	N/A	Full ROI →
2	Villanova University Grad rate: 91.5%	PA	+$210,136	$68,680	$80,866	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Bradley University Grad rate: 74.0%	IL	+$146,580	$59,875	$52,730	N/A	Full ROI →
4	Manhattanville University Grad rate: 57.5%	NY	+$106,376	$60,202	$55,641	$26,000	Full ROI →
5	Santa Clara University Grad rate: 88.5%	CA	+$89,108	$62,009	$77,768	N/A	Full ROI →
6	University of Kansas Grad rate: 68.0%	KS	+$71,788	$52,185	$25,215	$23,001	Full ROI →
7	Frostburg State University Grad rate: 50.7%	MD	+$55,310	$51,888	$26,500	$27,000	Full ROI →
8	University of California-Berkeley Grad rate: 93.5%	CA	+$45,161	$53,686	$42,708	$13,131	Full ROI →
9	San Jose State University Grad rate: 66.2%	CA	+$30,060	$48,642	$25,695	N/A	Full ROI →
10	Shepherd University Grad rate: 48.7%	WV	+$26,927	$48,671	$19,863	$20,030	Full ROI →
11	Barnard College Grad rate: 92.2%	NY	+$19,484	$60,852	$84,023	$15,899	Full ROI →
12	Westminster College Grad rate: 63.9%	PA	-$4,232	$52,150	$51,808	N/A	Full ROI →
13	Binghamton University Grad rate: 83.2%	NY	-$4,993	$49,403	$29,657	$25,500	Full ROI →
14	Capital University Grad rate: 63.3%	OH	-$19,124	$51,861	$54,086	N/A	Full ROI →
15	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 44.8%	PA	-$25,546	$47,419	$24,369	$27,000	Full ROI →
16	CUNY Brooklyn College Grad rate: 55.8%	NY	-$34,272	$43,001	$13,573	N/A	Full ROI →
17	Curry College Grad rate: 50.3%	MA	-$36,084	$52,507	$61,556	N/A	Full ROI →
18	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Grad rate: 70.5%	MD	-$44,917	$46,978	$27,935	$24,250	Full ROI →
19	SUNY at Fredonia Grad rate: 56.6%	NY	-$46,044	$44,764	$25,331	N/A	Full ROI →
20	St. John Fisher University Grad rate: 73.3%	NY	-$52,556	$49,875	$52,514	N/A	Full ROI →
21	Lee University Grad rate: 61.8%	TN	-$55,676	$47,780	$34,299	$25,245	Full ROI →
22	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	WA	-$55,824	$46,567	$30,282	$19,286	Full ROI →
23	Minnesota State University Moorhead Grad rate: 55.0%	MN	-$57,946	$45,809	$24,419	$27,000	Full ROI →
24	CUNY York College Grad rate: 31.7%	NY	-$58,961	$42,778	$13,686	$14,650	Full ROI →
25	CUNY Lehman College Grad rate: 51.2%	NY	-$60,347	$42,433	$13,456	$11,247	Full ROI →
26	San Francisco State University Grad rate: 52.2%	CA	-$60,582	$45,035	$25,258	$15,000	Full ROI →
27	Michigan State University Grad rate: 81.9%	MI	-$62,061	$46,824	$30,528	$26,985	Full ROI →
28	Sonoma State University Grad rate: 60.1%	CA	-$62,476	$45,039	$24,739	$18,000	Full ROI →
29	Northeastern University Oakland	CA	-$64,130	$40,616	N/A	$27,000	Full ROI →
30	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Grad rate: 66.5%	CA	-$64,463	$44,209	$22,672	$13,300	Full ROI →
31	Wagner College Grad rate: 64.9%	NY	-$67,108	$51,246	$63,007	N/A	Full ROI →
32	University of Nebraska at Omaha Grad rate: 48.3%	NE	-$69,916	$44,399	$20,446	$26,750	Full ROI →
33	Texas Lutheran University Grad rate: 54.4%	TX	-$70,052	$48,007	$47,548	N/A	Full ROI →
34	Dartmouth College Grad rate: 95.4%	NH	-$70,375	$56,541	$83,802	$19,250	Full ROI →
35	University of Maryland-College Park Grad rate: 88.9%	MD	-$70,933	$45,449	$28,073	$20,460	Full ROI →
36	Brigham Young University-Idaho Grad rate: 54.5%	ID	-$73,838	$41,965	$13,357	$14,600	Full ROI →
37	Hope College Grad rate: 81.3%	MI	-$76,002	$50,294	$52,206	$24,488	Full ROI →
38	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Grad rate: 59.7%	CT	-$76,343	$43,885	$20,917	$22,500	Full ROI →
39	Stony Brook University Grad rate: 77.8%	NY	-$76,963	$45,421	$29,174	$21,250	Full ROI →
40	University of Notre Dame Grad rate: 96.6%	IN	-$77,914	$55,483	$80,211	$19,800	Full ROI →
41	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Grad rate: 57.8%	CT	-$79,087	$43,885	$21,603	$22,500	Full ROI →
42	University of Missouri-Kansas City Grad rate: 56.0%	MO	-$81,618	$44,252	$24,645	$20,799	Full ROI →
43	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Grad rate: 85.3%	CA	-$82,104	$45,009	$29,918	$16,750	Full ROI →
44	University of Virginia-Main Campus Grad rate: 95.3%	VA	-$82,203	$46,900	$38,132	$20,500	Full ROI →
45	Salisbury University Grad rate: 68.0%	MD	-$84,229	$44,610	$26,134	$23,625	Full ROI →
46	Brigham Young University Grad rate: 80.4%	UT	-$86,236	$42,809	$20,879	$14,000	Full ROI →
47	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Grad rate: 86.3%	VA	-$86,519	$45,625	$32,040	$22,859	Full ROI →
48	American University Grad rate: 79.0%	DC	-$87,996	$51,910	$71,549	N/A	Full ROI →
49	Ramapo College of New Jersey Grad rate: 70.7%	NJ	-$88,736	$44,999	$30,176	$20,750	Full ROI →
50	California State University-East Bay Grad rate: 45.5%	CA	-$88,994	$43,370	$22,803	$18,654	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Sociology Degrees by State

Browse Sociology programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.