---
title: Is a Sociology and Anthropology degree worth the debt?
cip: 4513
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Sociology and Anthropology degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **6** colleges (6 of 6 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $25,665 ($23,649 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $24,822 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.98× a first year's pay


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $25,665 | $24,822 | 0.98× | 6 | 6/6 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| College of Staten Island CUNY (NY) | $29,091 | $15,180 |
| Denison University (OH) | $28,362 | $26,500 |
| Valdosta State University (GA) | $26,899 | $29,974 |
| University of Puget Sound (WA) | $24,431 | $25,000 |
| Southern Oregon University (OR) | $23,321 | $18,500 |
| St Olaf College (MN) | $19,528 | $24,644 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/sociology-and-anthropology.jsonld` · `/education/fields/sociology-and-anthropology.json`