Social Sciences at Roger Williams University

Roger Williams University's bachelor's in Social Sciences comes with an estimated $27,000 in debt—slightly above the national median for this field—while peers typically see first-year earnings around $37,500. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 suggests manageable repayment if your child secures steady employment, but social sciences degrees are notoriously broad, and career outcomes depend heavily on how graduates leverage internships, connections, and post-graduation planning.

The concerning element here isn't the numbers themselves—they're typical for the field—but rather that we're working entirely with estimates because this program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to report actual outcomes. With an 88% admission rate and relatively accessible profile, Roger Williams attracts students across a wide ability range, which likely means employment outcomes vary considerably more than these median estimates suggest. The school's low Pell percentage (16%) indicates a largely middle- to upper-income student body who may have family networks to help translate a general social sciences degree into career opportunities.

Before committing, push the school for placement data: where do graduates actually land, and what roles do they secure? A social sciences degree can open doors to nonprofit work, government positions, or graduate school—or it can leave graduates scrambling in retail with substantial debt. The estimated figures tell you this program sits in the middle of the pack nationally, but they can't tell you whether Roger Williams specifically prepares students to compete for jobs that justify the investment.