Best colleges for psychology
116,790 students earned a psychology bachelor's degree in 2024-25, more than any other field except business and health. Ranked by what those graduates actually earn, Georgetown University leads at $99,007 four years out. The number worth knowing before any leaderboard: psychology's median is $31,355 one year after graduation and $51,061 at four years, 63% higher. Which figure a ranking uses changes the answer.
Why a 50-graduate minimum changes the whole list
Rank psychology programs by earnings with no minimum size and the top of the list fills with institutions that graduated one psychology major. Their “median earnings” describes a single person, and it outranks every real department in the country. That is not a hypothetical: it is what an unfiltered sort of this exact dataset produces, and it is why so many college ranking pages read as nonsense.
Every table here requires at least 50 psychology bachelor's degrees a year. That leaves 505 programs, still 87% of all US psychology graduates, and the artifacts disappear. Of those, 486 have a four-year earnings figure and 488 have a debt figure; programs missing one are shown with a dash rather than dropped.
And “best” here means one thing only
Earnings. Not teaching, not research, not how well a department fits the student who wants to become a clinician rather than a consultant. Psychology is also unusually graduate-school-bound, so an earnings figure taken shortly after graduation partly measures who is still studying. Read these as one federal column sorted, which is all they are.
Highest earnings four years after graduation
Ranked by median earnings four years out, the longest horizon federal data publishes at program level. Only programs graduating at least 50 psychology majors a year are eligible, which is why no single-graduate program appears. The national median for these programs is $51,061.
| # | Institution | 4 years outMedian earnings | 1 year outOlder cohort | GraduatesPer year | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgetown University DC Private nonprofit | $99,007 | $51,959 | 69 | $17,500 |
| 2 | George Washington University DC Private nonprofit | $79,187 | — | 149 | — |
| 3 | Cornell University NY Private nonprofit | $78,049 | $36,630 | 84 | $14,157 |
| 4 | Santa Clara University CA Private nonprofit | $75,742 | $38,587 | 102 | $17,667 |
| 5 | Lehigh University PA Private nonprofit | $74,939 | $40,942 | 88 | $21,160 |
| 6 | University of San Diego CA Private nonprofit | $74,178 | $35,595 | 103 | $24,293 |
| 7 | College of the Holy Cross MA Private nonprofit | $74,095 | $41,099 | 92 | $27,000 |
| 8 | Villanova University PA Private nonprofit | $73,684 | $35,462 | 117 | $21,500 |
| 9 | Northwestern University IL Private nonprofit | $73,646 | $44,088 | 128 | $14,500 |
| 10 | Southern Methodist University TX Private nonprofit | $72,136 | $38,115 | 125 | $23,310 |
| 11 | University of Southern California CA Private nonprofit | $70,461 | $34,139 | 181 | $14,000 |
| 12 | Fairfield University CT Private nonprofit | $70,211 | $39,890 | 94 | $26,000 |
| 13 | Boston College MA Private nonprofit | $70,033 | $44,760 | 166 | $18,000 |
| 14 | Elon University NC Private nonprofit | $69,856 | $36,668 | 97 | $23,250 |
| 15 | University of Notre Dame IN Private nonprofit | $69,793 | — | 96 | $19,015 |
| 16 | Binghamton University NY Public | $67,249 | $30,023 | 382 | $20,500 |
| 17 | National University CA Private nonprofit | $66,849 | $38,523 | 253 | $31,250 |
| 18 | Bucknell University PA Private nonprofit | $66,206 | $51,645 | 73 | $27,000 |
| 19 | Drew University NJ Private nonprofit | $65,997 | — | 52 | $26,059 |
| 20 | Syracuse University NY Private nonprofit | $65,694 | $34,654 | 291 | $26,865 |
| 21 | Baylor University TX Private nonprofit | $65,090 | $27,785 | 165 | $25,212 |
| 22 | University of San Francisco CA Private nonprofit | $65,071 | $36,734 | 160 | $24,315 |
| 23 | Wake Forest University NC Private nonprofit | $64,814 | $34,823 | 122 | $21,500 |
| 24 | Manhattan University NY Private nonprofit | $64,684 | $24,727 | 60 | $26,000 |
| 25 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY Public | $64,619 | $48,299 | 113 | $19,462 |
| 26 | Azusa Pacific University CA Private nonprofit | $63,963 | $32,435 | 121 | $23,406 |
| 27 | Stonehill College MA Private nonprofit | $63,957 | $37,460 | 50 | $25,000 |
| 28 | Boston University MA Private nonprofit | $63,838 | $39,175 | 269 | $26,000 |
| 29 | Providence College RI Private nonprofit | $63,746 | $37,863 | 104 | $27,000 |
| 30 | Chapman University CA Private nonprofit | $63,617 | $28,661 | 172 | $21,500 |
Highest earnings at public universities
28 of the 30 schools above are private. Public universities are where most psychology majors actually enrol, so they get their own leaderboard rather than being buried. Binghamton University leads at $67,249.
| # | Institution | 4 years outMedian earnings | 1 year outOlder cohort | GraduatesPer year | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binghamton University NY Public | $67,249 | $30,023 | 382 | $20,500 |
| 2 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY Public | $64,619 | $48,299 | 113 | $19,462 |
| 3 | University of Virginia - Main Campus VA Public | $62,794 | $36,121 | 156 | $19,500 |
| 4 | George Mason University VA Public | $62,563 | $36,326 | 389 | $21,000 |
| 5 | The College of New Jersey NJ Public | $62,397 | $28,920 | 126 | $24,905 |
| 6 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC Public | $62,032 | $29,738 | 304 | $22,373 |
| 7 | University of California - Los Angeles CA Public | $61,050 | $30,614 | 692 | $14,500 |
| 8 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo CA Public | $60,466 | $23,744 | 145 | $20,000 |
| 9 | College of Staten Island CUNY NY Public | $59,741 | $28,118 | 256 | $16,607 |
| 10 | University of Georgia GA Public | $59,446 | $29,874 | 652 | $21,552 |
| 11 | William & Mary VA Public | $59,226 | $36,818 | 174 | $19,379 |
| 12 | CUNY Hunter College NY Public | $59,149 | $31,706 | 635 | $10,923 |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin - Madison WI Public | $58,901 | $31,985 | 471 | $21,215 |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts Global CA Public | $58,836 | $40,726 | 83 | $26,703 |
| 15 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College NY Public | $58,476 | $35,149 | 165 | $13,470 |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire WI Public | $58,458 | $38,259 | 110 | $22,500 |
| 17 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities MN Public | $58,449 | $36,294 | 561 | $20,674 |
| 18 | University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public | $58,439 | $42,056 | 740 | $23,465 |
| 19 | Texas A&M University - College Station TX Public | $58,396 | $33,480 | 581 | $19,121 |
| 20 | Miami University - Oxford OH Public | $58,255 | $36,190 | 259 | $24,094 |
Highest earnings one year after graduation
The same field, measured three years earlier in a graduate's life, and a different set of schools: only 5 of these 15 appear in the top 15 above. One year out, a large share of psychology graduates are in graduate school rather than in the labour market, which is what this column is really measuring.
| # | Institution | 4 years outMedian earnings | 1 year outOlder cohort | GraduatesPer year | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgetown University DC Private nonprofit | $99,007 | $51,959 | 69 | $17,500 |
| 2 | Bucknell University PA Private nonprofit | $66,206 | $51,645 | 73 | $27,000 |
| 3 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY Public | $64,619 | $48,299 | 113 | $19,462 |
| 4 | The University of Texas Permian Basin TX Public | — | $46,009 | 121 | $21,731 |
| 5 | Boston College MA Private nonprofit | $70,033 | $44,760 | 166 | $18,000 |
| 6 | Northwestern University IL Private nonprofit | $73,646 | $44,088 | 128 | $14,500 |
| 7 | Endicott College MA Private nonprofit | $53,380 | $43,646 | 53 | $27,000 |
| 8 | Excelsior University NY Private nonprofit | $46,149 | $43,574 | 196 | $28,914 |
| 9 | Upper Iowa University IA Private nonprofit | $50,877 | $42,183 | 88 | $41,478 |
| 10 | University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public | $58,439 | $42,056 | 740 | $23,465 |
| 11 | Rice University TX Private nonprofit | — | $41,299 | 56 | $12,505 |
| 12 | Waldorf University IA Private nonprofit | $50,184 | $41,193 | 64 | $29,136 |
| 13 | College of the Holy Cross MA Private nonprofit | $74,095 | $41,099 | 92 | $27,000 |
| 14 | Metropolitan State University MN Public | $55,824 | $40,958 | 111 | $30,155 |
| 15 | Lehigh University PA Private nonprofit | $74,939 | $40,942 | 88 | $21,160 |
Largest psychology programs in the country
Ranked by bachelor's degrees conferred in 2024-25. This is a measure of scale, not quality, and it is the list that shows how concentrated the field is: Southern New Hampshire University alone graduates 4,143 psychology majors a year.
| # | Institution | 4 years outMedian earnings | 1 year outOlder cohort | GraduatesPer year | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University NH Private nonprofit | $49,769 | $38,600 | 4,143 | $34,547 |
| 2 | University of Central Florida FL Public | $49,760 | $31,013 | 1,570 | $19,432 |
| 3 | Florida International University FL Public | $49,470 | $30,218 | 1,531 | $18,750 |
| 4 | Liberty University VA Private nonprofit | $45,340 | $32,679 | 1,272 | $32,916 |
| 5 | California State University - Northridge CA Public | $49,792 | $28,603 | 995 | $13,000 |
| 6 | Capella University MN Private for-profit | $51,571 | $39,764 | 987 | $40,816 |
| 7 | California State University - Fullerton CA Public | $51,661 | $27,965 | 986 | $12,998 |
| 8 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ Public | $53,586 | $37,312 | 985 | $23,000 |
| 9 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ Public | $53,586 | $37,312 | 942 | $23,000 |
| 10 | University of South Florida FL Public | $47,257 | $32,438 | 881 | $21,267 |
| 11 | University of Houston TX Public | $52,892 | $32,653 | 783 | $20,500 |
| 12 | San Diego State University CA Public | $51,021 | $29,346 | 759 | $14,301 |
| 13 | Florida State University FL Public | $54,728 | $30,140 | 751 | $19,000 |
| 14 | University of Maryland Global Campus MD Public | $58,439 | $42,056 | 740 | $23,465 |
| 15 | California State University - Long Beach CA Public | $48,926 | $27,511 | 697 | $12,000 |
| 16 | University of California - Los Angeles CA Public | $61,050 | $30,614 | 692 | $14,500 |
| 17 | University of Georgia GA Public | $59,446 | $29,874 | 652 | $21,552 |
| 18 | University of Florida FL Public | $57,053 | $26,003 | 637 | $16,897 |
| 19 | CUNY Hunter College NY Public | $59,149 | $31,706 | 635 | $10,923 |
| 20 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick NJ Public | $56,479 | $31,280 | 609 | $25,000 |
Methodology
- Sources, and their three years
- Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions 2024-25, bachelor's degrees, first majors only, so a double major is counted once. Four-year earnings: College Scorecard field of study, pooled 2021-22 and 2022-23 graduate cohorts. One-year earnings: College Scorecard field of study, pooled 2019-20 and 2020-21 graduate cohorts. Program debt: College Scorecard field of study, 2018 file, the last year the Department of Education published it. These are three different vintages and the page never presents them as one snapshot.
- What counts as psychology
- CIP 42.01 (Psychology, General) at the bachelor's level only. The other psychology codes are separate programs with their own pages: Research and Experimental Psychology (CIP 42.27), Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (CIP 42.28), Psychology, Other (CIP 42.99), Biopsychology (CIP 30.10). Merging them would produce a bigger number and a worse ranking, because a clinical psychology bachelor's and a general psychology bachelor's lead to different places.
- The eligibility floor
- At least 50 psychology bachelor's degrees conferred in 2024-25. 505 of 1,329 institutions qualify, covering 101,577 of 116,790 graduates (87%). Programs below the floor are not ranked, but they still count toward every national total on this page.
- How earnings are measured
- College Scorecard field-of-study earnings come from tax records matched to federal aid recipients who completed a specific program at a specific institution. They cover aid recipients only, not every graduate, and they exclude anyone not working. Across the ranked programs the four-year figures run from $30,052 to $99,007.
- What this does not measure
- Selectivity, faculty, research output, clinical placement rates, or graduate school admission. It also cannot separate the effect of a department from the effect of who enrols in it: a school admitting students headed for consulting will show higher psychology earnings without teaching psychology any better.
Want this for your state, or for a different major?
Every figure here is a query against the same federal files. The psychology program page carries every institution and a breakdown by state, and the College Scorecard agent answers the cut this page does not: psychology in Texas, or the same ranking with a debt-to-earnings filter.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best colleges for psychology?+
By median earnings four years after graduation, among programs graduating at least 50 psychology majors a year: Georgetown University ($99,007), George Washington University ($79,187), Cornell University ($78,049), Santa Clara University ($75,742), Lehigh University ($74,939). Ranking by earnings measures one outcome, not teaching quality, research standing or how good a fit a department is for a given student.
Does a psychology degree pay badly?+
It pays badly early and much better later, which is why the answer depends entirely on when you measure. The national median for these programs is $31,355 one year after graduation and $51,061 four years out, a $19,706 difference, or 63% higher. Most published "worst paying majors" lists use the early figure.
Why is there a 50-graduate minimum?+
Because without one the ranking is noise. A program that graduated one psychology major produces a "median earnings" figure describing one person, and those rows sort straight to the top of any unfiltered list. Requiring 50 graduates a year leaves 505 programs covering 87% of all US psychology graduates, and every school on these tables clears it.
Why is US News not the source here?+
US News does not publish an undergraduate psychology ranking; its psychology rankings cover graduate programs and are built largely on peer assessment surveys. These tables use federal outcome data instead: what graduates of each specific program actually earned, from tax records matched to graduates by the Department of Education.
Which psychology are we talking about?+
CIP 42.01, Psychology, General, the general psychology major that 1,329 institutions award. Federal data splits psychology across five 4-digit codes; the others (Research and Experimental Psychology, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Psychology, Other, Biopsychology) are separate programs with their own pages and are not merged into these numbers.
How current is this data?+
Three different vintages, and they cannot be collapsed into one. Graduate counts are IPEDS Completions 2024-25. Four-year earnings are the pooled 2021-22 and 2022-23 graduating cohorts, the newest program-level earnings the Department of Education has released. One-year earnings are the pooled 2019-20 and 2020-21 cohorts, and program debt comes from the 2018 file, the last year it was published. Every column on the tables is labeled with its own horizon.
Data: College Scorecard (June 2026 release) · IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional. Earnings are College Scorecard field-of-study medians for federal aid recipients; only programs with at least 50 graduates a year are ranked. All sources & release dates →
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