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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Psychology, General worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 1,139 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$212,108 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

52.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−81%Estimated return after 10 years
$49,960Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$49,960 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$49,960Typical earnings four years after completion
$49,409Average earnings five years after completion
$25,716Typical federal student debt
21thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
193Degrees awarded in 2024–25
1,062College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 32 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Psychology, General

How much do Psychology, General bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $49,960 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $25,716. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Psychology, General?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $45,390 to $54,702 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Psychology, General?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$47,847
Federal debt
$22,255
Programs in the comparison
4
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$38,612
Federal debt
$11,198
Programs in the comparison
124
117 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$49,960
Federal debt
$25,716
Programs in the comparison
1,139
1,062 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,973
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
92
92 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$96,534
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
39
39 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$65,990
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$55,763
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$45,390National median$49,96075th percentile$54,702
1,062 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$54,70275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$25,716Median federal debt across programs that report it
145Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Georgetown University

$99,007 four years after completionWashington, DC · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Vanderbilt University

$11,209 among completer borrowersNashville, TN · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Binghamton University

323 reported awards in 2024–25Vestal, NY · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$86,896Observed year-4 earnings$69,730
$17,113Annual college-wide average net price$43,756
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Georgetown University$99,0072Washington University in St Louis$91,7873Dartmouth College$86,8964Carnegie Mellon University$82,4335George Washington University$79,1876Cornell University$78,0497Santa Clara University$75,7428Virginia Military Institute$75,0599Lehigh University$74,93910Gettysburg College$74,466

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$193,950 median wage790 jobs nationwide+6.5% projected growth through 2035 · 300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$79,010–$247,220 typical wage rangeManagers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangePsychologists, All Other$110,840 median wage18,820 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$54,990–$168,520 typical wage rangeClinical and Counseling Psychologists$100,580 median wage75,990 jobs nationwide+11.7% projected growth through 2035 · 4,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$55,170–$180,960 typical wage rangePsychology Teachers, Postsecondary$80,340 median wage41,530 jobs nationwide+4.0% projected growth through 2035 · 3,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,050–$153,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Research and Experimental Psychology

Year-4 earnings
$56,830
Federal debt
$21,814
111 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology

Year-4 earnings
$51,727
Federal debt
$27,000
77 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Psychology, Other

Year-4 earnings
$50,430
Federal debt
$16,473
13 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

PA86 programs$52,550 average earningsNY72 programs$55,303 average earningsCA62 programs$55,627 average earningsOH53 programs$48,409 average earningsTX52 programs$48,344 average earningsIL39 programs$51,206 average earningsMA35 programs$55,654 average earningsVA34 programs$50,053 average earningsGA31 programs$45,860 average earningsFL31 programs$48,513 average earningsIN30 programs$48,698 average earningsWI29 programs$51,196 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.