U.S. median for this major: $52,120.
College Scorecard field of study; 65 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 31% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $37,684. College Scorecard.
CU Sociology: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Sociology nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses CU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,231 | $60,624 | 3.5 years |
| $30–48k | $14,381 | $61,263 | 3.5 years |
| $48–75k | $18,828 | $80,207 | 4.6 years |
| $75–110k | $26,915 | $114,658 | 6.6 years |
| $110k+ | $34,818 | $148,325 | 8.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (58% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Sociology graduates 4 years after graduating ($58,026) minus $40,610 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in CO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $17,416 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Sociology at Colorado colleges
Every Colorado college we cover that reports Sociology graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Colorado Boulder | $58,026 | $17,819 | $25,346 | 74% |
| 2 | Western Colorado University | $57,359 | — | $16,425 | 51% |
| 3 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | $57,300 | $23,000 | $21,279 | 67% |
| 4 | Colorado College | $56,649 | — | $33,375 | 88% |
| 5 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | $52,414 | $26,000 | $15,327 | 32% |
| 6 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | $49,619 | $31,000 | $11,900 | 46% |
| 7 | Colorado State University Pueblo | $48,962 | $23,000 | $10,051 | 40% |
| 8 | University of Northern Colorado | $48,154 | $27,000 | $17,760 | 51% |
| 9 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | $46,444 | $22,625 | $15,788 | 47% |
| 10 | Fort Lewis College | $43,544 | $19,213 | $17,296 | 36% |
| 11 | Colorado Mesa Universitybachelor's & associate | $42,701 | — | $15,103 | 41% |
3 more Colorado colleges offer Sociology but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Sociology graduates
Social Science Research Assistants
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at CU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About CU
- Acceptance rate: 78% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 74% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $69,738
- Full cost breakdown · all 68 majors · overview
Related majors at CU
- Psychology$56,867
- Political Science$69,651
- Economics$73,319
CU Sociology questions
How much do CU Sociology graduates earn?
Sociology graduates of University of Colorado Boulder earn a median $58,026 four years after graduating and $37,958 one year after. The U.S. median for Sociology graduates across 458 colleges is $52,120.
How much debt do CU Sociology graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Sociology graduates of University of Colorado Boulder is $17,819, about 31% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.
Is CU a good school for Sociology in Colorado?
On pay, Sociology graduates of University of Colorado Boulder earn $58,026 four years out, $8,407 above the median for the same major across 11 Colorado colleges ($49,619) and $5,906 above the U.S. median ($52,120). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does CU rank for Sociology in Colorado?
Of 11 Colorado colleges reporting Sociology graduate earnings, University of Colorado Boulder ranks 1st, the highest.
What jobs do Sociology graduates get?
A common career is social science research assistants, with a median wage of $50,430 in Colorado and $61,990 nationally.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Colorado Boulder Sociology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder/majors/sociology (College Scorecard and BLS data).