Social Sciences at University of the District of Columbia

A bachelor's in Social Sciences from the University of the District of Columbia comes with estimated first-year earnings around $36,000 and debt near $22,000—figures drawn from comparable programs nationally since this specific program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61 sits comfortably below the 1.0 threshold that typically signals repayment struggles, suggesting manageable monthly payments even on entry-level social science wages. For a program serving a substantial population of Pell grant recipients (43% of students), this debt level represents a relatively modest barrier to degree completion.

The challenge with social sciences degrees generally isn't the debt load—it's what comes after. These credentials open doors to nonprofit work, government positions, and research assistant roles, but first-year salaries rarely break $40,000, and advancement often requires graduate education. In DC specifically, where the cost of living ranks among the nation's highest, $36,000 stretches thin quickly. Your child would need either a clear path to higher-paying government work (where a DC location helps considerably) or a plan for graduate school within a few years to make the economics work long-term. Without those next steps mapped out, this becomes a degree that checks a box without necessarily changing the financial trajectory.