Some university students borrow $150,000 to obtain a degree in sociology.
Posted by The Charlie Kirk Show, Checked
- Sources
- 1 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Charlie Kirk ShowAug 5, 2026
The Atlantic report describes a Northeastern sociology graduate who owed about $200,000 in student loans, which fits the claim that some students borrow around $150,000 for a sociology degree. The support is a single anecdote, and the Atlantic piece's publication date is unclear (its URL says 2012, its metadata says 2025), so confidence is moderate.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… no plan intact up here from the federal government that takes this back to our kids all over the country and explains to them the difference between socialism, communism, and being a capitalist country. They don't realize how good we have it here. Now, I can understand a lot of them going to these universities and getting a degree in sociology and spending $150,000 or borrowing $150,000 and getting out, and they can't get a job at Walmart because they didn't get a degree that actually you can get a job. Our universities have become a business instead of a educational institution—they want to make money. …
The Charlie Kirk Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Atlantic profiles Kelli Space, who earned a sociology degree at Northeastern and graduated with about $200,000 in student loans, exceeding the $150,000 figure in the claim.[2]
Supports. An Atlantic-reported former student who borrowed $150,000 is quoted, though the source does not specify that this student's degree was in sociology.[2]
Context. A 2026 Education Department document references $150,000 master's degrees that saddle graduates with debt, showing that debt levels near $150,000 occur in some graduate programs, though it does not address sociology specifically.[1]
Context. TICAS data show average sociology bachelor's program debt of about $15,900 in California, which reflects averages rather than the upper tail and does not contradict the existence of borrowers at $150,000.[3]
Sources
3 sources: 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 1 not rated
- 1[PDF] secretary-mcmahons-remarks-white-house-higher-education ...ed.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 2The 1% of the Student Debt Crisis: Owing $150,000 in Loanstheatlantic.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3[PDF] California's Undergraduate Student Loan Borrowing Landscapeticas.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post