Federal data
Highest earning sociology programs in California
California sociology programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $46,505 | 36 |
| 2 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $43,202 | 98 |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | Public, 4-year | $40,774 | 269 |
| 4 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $40,763 | 161 |
| 5 | Mount Saint Mary's University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $40,451 | 34 |
| 6 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $39,378 | 200 |
| 7 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $37,896 | 147 |
| 8 | University of California-Merced | Merced | Public, 4-year | $37,092 | 90 |
| 9 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $37,040 | 271 |
| 10 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $36,992 | 162 |
| 11 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $36,557 | 139 |
| 12 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $36,476 | 33 |
| 13 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | Public, 4-year | $36,464 | 145 |
| 14 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $36,183 | 43 |
| 15 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,993 | 49 |
| 16 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,580 | 61 |
| 17 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $35,136 | 145 |
| 18 | California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton | Public, 4-year | $34,714 | 427 |
| 19 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $34,541 | 214 |
| 20 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public, 4-year | $34,372 | 601 |
| 21 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $34,350 | 323 |
| 22 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $34,121 | 592 |
| 23 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $34,093 | 533 |
| 24 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $34,092 | 541 |
| 25 | University of California-Irvine | Irvine | Public, 4-year | $34,050 | 239 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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