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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology

706 Ranked Colleges
29,435 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Sociology is the 20th most popular major in the country with 37,747 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 29,435 sociology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 706 colleges that offered a degree in sociology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality sociology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the sociology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The sociology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Sociology

Top 10% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 90 students in 2019-2020.

BYU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,322 for bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at Brigham Young University - Provo

#2

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
Top 20% in overall quality

Out of the 706 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, this large private for-profit school awarded 74 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, American Military University is also in the top of our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $10,222 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend American Military University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Sociology at American Public University System

Out of the 706 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #3 spot on the list. BYU - I is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 56 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Idaho is $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Brigham Young University - Idaho

Top 15% in overall quality

Out of the 706 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, North Dakota State University is in the top on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Sociology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University is $16,584 for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

#5

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, New York
Top 15% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s. The Graduate Center, CUNY is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 17 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The Graduate Center excels when it comes to sociology quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Sociology at The Graduate Center

Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 170 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,971 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend ASU - Skysong.

Read more about Sociology at Arizona State University - Skysong

Top 20% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse excels when it comes to sociology quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at UW - La Crosse

#8

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

South Dakota State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 35 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State University is $19,252 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at South Dakota State

#9

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at UW - River Falls

With a ranking of #10, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 13 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,092 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend UT Permian Basin.

Read full report on Sociology at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#11

Hunter College

New York, New York
Top 25% in overall quality

Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #11. Located in New York, New York, this large public school handed out 217 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Hunter College

#12

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of North Dakota is a fairly large school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 31 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $15,738 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at UND

#13

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized school located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin that handed out 97 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,465 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Read more about Sociology at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#14

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

Read full report on Sociology at UW - Whitewater

#15

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Purdue University Northwest is a medium-sized school located in Hammond, Indiana that handed out 43 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,250 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend Purdue University Northwest.

Read full report on Sociology at Purdue Northwest

#16

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Bemidji State University is a small school located in Bemidji, Minnesota that handed out 2 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Bemidji State University is $15,868 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

Read full report on Sociology at Bemidji State University

#17

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Winona State University is $17,656 for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Winona State Sociology Report

#18

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

With a ranking of #18, Northern State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern State University is $15,851 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

Read more about Sociology at NSU

Minnesota State University - Moorhead ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s sociology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $16,893 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at MSU Moorhead

#20

Brandman University

Irvine, California
Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Brandman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Brandman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brandman is $21,604 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

Full Brandman University Sociology Report

#21

Park University

Parkville, Missouri

Park University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Park University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Parkville, Missouri. It awarded 3 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,579 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students per year to attend Park University.

Full Park University Sociology Report

#22

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for bachelor’s degree sociology students.

Read full report on Sociology at NIU

#23

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Pembroke, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Pembroke, North Carolina, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s sociology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,228 for bachelor’s degree sociology students per year to attend UNC Pembroke.

Read more about Sociology at UNC Pembroke

#24

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri

Truman State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #24. Truman State University is a public institution located in Kirksville, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Truman State is $12,462 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at Truman State

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s sociology degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $17,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Sociology students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Sociology Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#29

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts
#32

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#33

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#34

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#37

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#38

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina
#41

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#41

Queens College

Queens, New York
#44

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#45

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#46

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
#47

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
#49

SUNY Geneseo

Geneseo, New York
#50

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Sociology Schools for a Bachelor’s

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
52 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
52 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
54 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
55 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
56 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
57 Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA
58 Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD
59 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
60 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK
61 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
62 SUNY Cortland Cortland, NY
63 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
63 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
65 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
Rank College Location
66 Florida International University Miami, FL
66 Central College Pella, IA
68 East Central University Ada, OK
69 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
70 Worcester State University Worcester, MA
71 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
72 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
73 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
74 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
75 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
76 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
77 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
78 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
79 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
80 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
81 Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV
81 University of Houston Houston, TX
83 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
84 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
85 University of North Texas Denton, TX
86 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
87 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
88 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
89 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA
90 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
Rank College Location
91 Columbia College Columbia, MO
92 Angelo State University San Angelo, TX
92 University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA
94 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
95 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
96 National University La Jolla, CA
96 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
98 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
99 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
100 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
101 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
102 Indiana University - East Richmond, IN
102 The City College of New York New York, NY
104 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
105 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
106 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
106 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
106 Framingham State University Framingham, MA

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kontos.

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