{
  "major": "Sociology",
  "slug": "sociology",
  "field": "Social Sciences & Humanities",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-sociology-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 416,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "Columbia University in the City of New York",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 58541,
      "net_price": 21590,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 499050,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "University of California-Berkeley",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 40774,
      "net_price": 13481,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 353816,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "CUNY Brooklyn College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 41062,
      "net_price": 3103,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 398208,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "CUNY Lehman College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 42710,
      "net_price": 3148,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 414508,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "Dartmouth College",
      "state": "NH",
      "median_earnings": 64377,
      "net_price": 29519,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 525694,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "CUNY York College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 40515,
      "net_price": 4456,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 387326,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "University of Washington-Seattle Campus",
      "state": "WA",
      "median_earnings": 40062,
      "net_price": 14091,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 344256,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "California State University-East Bay",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 39378,
      "net_price": 9320,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 356500,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "San Francisco State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 40763,
      "net_price": 12278,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 358518,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "University of Virginia-Main Campus",
      "state": "VA",
      "median_earnings": 45786,
      "net_price": 21565,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 371600,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "Barnard College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 48215,
      "net_price": 28800,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 366950,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 40401,
      "net_price": 3203,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 391198,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "Sonoma State University",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 37896,
      "net_price": 12885,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 327420,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "California State University-Sacramento",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 37040,
      "net_price": 9338,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 333048,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "California State University-Channel Islands",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 36557,
      "net_price": 9849,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 326174,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Ohio University-Eastern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36506,
      "net_price": 3925,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 349360,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "Boston College",
      "state": "MA",
      "median_earnings": 48091,
      "net_price": 41704,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 314094,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "Duke University",
      "state": "NC",
      "median_earnings": 45551,
      "net_price": 29612,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 337062,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 40011,
      "net_price": 11900,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 352510,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "University of Maryland-Baltimore County",
      "state": "MD",
      "median_earnings": 39435,
      "net_price": 16467,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 328482,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36506,
      "net_price": 5755,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 342040,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "Ohio University-Southern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36506,
      "net_price": 5993,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 341088,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "Ohio University-Lancaster Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36506,
      "net_price": 5650,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 342460,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "Ohio University-Zanesville Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 36506,
      "net_price": 5746,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 342076,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "University of California-San Diego",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 36464,
      "net_price": 12470,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 314760,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}