Majors
Best Colleges for Social Sciences, by Earnings
60 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, about 1,384 degrees a year. Across the 24 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $54,311 four years after finishing.
| Rank | College | State | Median earnings, 4 years out | Degrees a year | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $101,138 | 193 | 11% |
| 2 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $80,700 | 36 | 58.1% |
| 3 | New York University | NY | $74,983 | 106 | 7.7% |
| 4 | University of Rochester | NY | $68,333 | 27 | 40.1% |
| 5 | Loyola University Maryland | MD | $67,373 | 19 | 75.5% |
| 6 | Columbia University | NY | $65,085 | 37 | 4% |
| 7 | Towson University | MD | $62,559 | 207 | 82% |
| 8 | Kalamazoo College | MI | $59,193 | 23 | 75.3% |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $57,360 | 35 | 31.3% |
| 10 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | WA | $56,628 | 40 | 82.5% |
| 11 | University of California-Riverside | CA | $55,087 | 26 | 76.4% |
| 12 | Russell Sage College | NY | $54,363 | 12 | 53.3% |
| 13 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | NY | $54,259 | 14 | 57.1% |
| 14 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | PA | $54,086 | 25 | 86.2% |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | WI | $50,738 | 19 | 88.6% |
| 16 | Benedictine University | IL | $50,054 | 7 | 95.2% |
| 17 | Eastern Oregon University | OR | $49,611 | 25 | 98.3% |
| 18 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | $47,004 | 12 | 88.2% |
| 19 | Keystone College | PA | $46,452 | 14 | 84.8% |
| 20 | Clark University | MA | $45,710 | 13 | 39.5% |
| 21 | University of Southern Maine | ME | $45,523 | 59 | 79.2% |
| 22 | University of Pittsburgh | PA | $44,520 | 11 | 58.1% |
| 23 | University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | PA | $44,520 | 9 | 88.5% |
| 24 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | TN | $43,858 | 39 | 81.1% |
36 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
Which college has the highest-paid Social Sciences graduates?
University of California-Berkeley ($101,138), Rutgers University-New Brunswick ($80,700), New York University ($74,983), University of Rochester ($68,333), Loyola University Maryland ($67,373) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.
How much do Social Sciences majors make?
The median across 24 colleges is $54,311 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $43,858 to $101,138.
Which colleges have the biggest Social Sciences programs?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Towson University (207), University of California-Berkeley (193), New York University (106), University of Southern Maine (59), University of California-San Diego (56).
Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?
Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Social Sciences, Other". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.
