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2023 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (With Aid)

568 Ranked Colleges
38,475 Degrees Awarded
$9,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Sociology is the 25th most popular major in the country with 38,475 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, sociology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $24,587 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 568 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in sociology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent sociology programs, but they also cost less that 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.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Sociology (With Aid)

1

Out of the 568 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 274 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Sociology Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $12,017 for sociology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UW Seattle Sociology Report

2
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Hunter College
New York, New York

Out of the 568 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #2 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 248 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,158 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend Hunter College.

The undergrad 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 Hunter

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 402 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,302 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 California State University - Los Angeles

4

Out of the 568 schools in the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 116 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for Sociology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 UNC Chapel Hill

5
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Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also made our “Best Sociology Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,894 for sociology students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Sociology at Stanford University

6
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Queens College
Queens, New York

Queens College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 180 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $3,469 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend Queens College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at Queens College

7

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 766 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #15 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for Sociology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at UCLA

8
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The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. The City College of New York is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 69 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,805 for Sociology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at The City College of New York

9
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Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 30 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Yale University is $15,296 for Sociology students with aid.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full Yale University Sociology Report

10
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University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #10, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 140 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. It costs about $5,135 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Sociology at University of Florida

11
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Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #11, Harvard University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our sociology students with aid list, Harvard has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,872 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend Harvard University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Harvard University Sociology Report

12

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s sociology degrees to 374 students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $16,032 for Sociology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Sociology at UC Berkeley

13
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Lehman College
Bronx, New York

Lehman College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Lehman is a public institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 248 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $2,614 for Sociology students with aid per year to attend Lehman College.

Read more about Sociology at Lehman

14
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Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

Princeton also took the #8 spot in our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton is $9,836 for sociology students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Princeton Sociology Report

15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 395 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for sociology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Sociology at California State University - Fullerton

16

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 113 degrees to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU is also in the top of our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,474 for sociology students with aid per year to attend BYU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at BYU

17
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York College
Jamaica, New York

York College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. York is located in Jamaica, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 78 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend York College is $3,985 for sociology students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at York

18

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 152 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our sociology students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $17,234 for Sociology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Sociology Report

19

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 301 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,026 for sociology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at CSUDH

20
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Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #20, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 119 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue is also in the top of our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,377 for Sociology students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Sociology at Purdue University - Main Campus

21

California State University - Fresno ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 147 diplomas to qualified ’s sociology students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $6,230 for Sociology students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full California State University - Fresno Sociology Report

22

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 306 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine excels when it comes to sociology quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for sociology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Sociology at University of California - Irvine

23

California State University - Long Beach came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 308 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB is also in the top of our “Best Sociology Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $10,054 for Sociology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 California State University - Long Beach

24

With a ranking of #24, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 499 ’s sociology degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,523 for sociology students with aid per year to attend CSUN.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Sociology at CSUN

25

University of California - Davis came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 275 ’s sociology degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UC Davis is in the top on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Sociology Schools” list. It costs about $15,768 for sociology students with aid per year to attend University of California - Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis Sociology Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid

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

26
27
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Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, New Mexico
28
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Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
29
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Rice University
Houston, Texas
30
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
31
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Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
32
33
33
35
36
37
38
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Baruch College
New York, New York
39
40
41
42
43
43
45
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Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
46
47
48
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Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
49
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University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
50
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Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Sociology Schools For Those Getting Aid

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

Rank College Location
51 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
52 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
53 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
54 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
55 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
56 Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
57 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
58 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
59 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
60 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
61 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
62 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
63 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
64 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
65 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
Rank College Location
66 Iowa State University Ames, IA
67 University of Georgia Athens, GA
68 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
69 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
70 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
71 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
72 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
73 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
74 University of Delaware Newark, DE
75 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
76 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
77 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
78 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
79 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
80 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
81 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
82 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
83 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
84 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
85 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
86 University at Albany Albany, NY

Notes and References

References

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