Best colleges for Sociology in New York
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the New York programs in the federal field-of-study file, Columbia University in the City of New York leads: its Sociology graduates earn a median $101,536 four years after finishing, against the field's $52,657 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $101,536 | +$48,879 |
| 2 | Barnard College | $77,821 | +$25,164 |
| 3 | New York University | $77,650 | +$24,993 |
| 4 | Cornell University | $73,200 | +$20,543 |
| 5 | Fordham University | $71,581 | +$18,924 |
How big is the earnings gap between New York Sociology programs?
$29,955 separates the top and bottom of this list — $101,536 at Columbia University in the City of New York against $71,581 at Fordham University, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do New York Sociology graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $48,879 above the $52,657 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.