Sociology at St Bonaventure University

The numbers here tell a troubling story, even accounting for the small sample size. St. Bonaventure sociology graduates earn $23,475 in their first year—landing in just the 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile among New York sociology programs. That's $10,000 below what the typical New York sociology graduate earns and nearly $11,000 below the national median. With $26,000 in debt, new graduates face more than a full year's earnings in loans.

The dramatic earnings jump to $46,681 by year four offers some hope, suggesting graduates eventually find their footing in the job market. However, that four-year mark still falls well short of what graduates from top New York programs earn right out of college. The debt load itself isn't unusual for sociology majors, but paired with those first-year earnings, it creates real financial pressure during the crucial early career years when loan payments begin.

For families paying full freight at a private liberal arts college, this ROI deserves serious scrutiny. The small sample size means outcomes could vary widely for individual students, but when earnings start this far behind comparable programs—including CUNY schools with much lower tuition—you need a compelling non-financial reason to choose this path. If your student is set on St. Bonaventure, exploring majors with stronger salary outcomes would be worth the conversation.