Sociology at University of South Carolina Aiken

USC Aiken's sociology program sits in an interesting position: it performs exactly at the median for South Carolina but well below national standards. While your student would outperform half the state's sociology graduates, they'd be trailing 83% of graduates nationally. The $29,438 starting salary lags about $5,000 behind the national median and falls significantly short of what peers at Clemson or even USC-Columbia can expect.

The debt burden tells a better story. At $28,750, it's slightly higher than the state median but substantially lower than many comparable programs. With nearly 1:1 debt-to-earnings ratio, your student would owe roughly one year's salary—manageable compared to programs where graduates carry 1.5 to 2 times their income. The 19% earnings growth over four years suggests the degree does provide some career progression, though the absolute numbers remain modest.

The real question is opportunity cost. If your child is considering USC Aiken for in-state tuition and proximity to home, this program won't bury them in debt. But if they could access one of SC's stronger sociology programs—particularly Clemson, where graduates earn $7,000 more—the higher starting salary could justify additional effort to gain admission. For a student who genuinely wants to study sociology and values staying close to Aiken, this works. For someone flexible on location or major, exploring other options makes sense given the below-average national performance.