Is a psychology degree from American Public University System worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 81% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other West Virginia programs before deciding.

American Public University System Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do American Public University System psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $31,973, which ranks 8th lowest of 8 psychology bachelor's programs in West Virginia. That works out to about $339 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private for-profit university
Charles Town, WV

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

American Public University System psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $39,655 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,973 in federal loans, more than at 95% of psychology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in West Virginia.

First-year earnings$39,65595th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,16827% more than year one

Median federal debt$31,9738th lowest of 8 West Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings81%West Virginia median 83%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The West Virginia and national columns are the medians across all psychology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	American Public University System	West Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,655	$29,093	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,168	$41,121	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$31,973	$26,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	81%	83%	78%
Programs compared		8	875

Five years out, American Public University System graduates earn about the national figure and about $9,047 more than the West Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every West Virginia psychology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the West Virginia medians.

American Public University SystemOther West Virginia programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 27% between the first and fifth year.

American Public University System grads, year 1$39,655

American Public University System grads, year 5$50,168

All West Virginia psychology grads, year 5$41,121

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $339 a month, or 10.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (215 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	10–14%
Paused payments (forbearance)	25–29%
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $8,617.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $39,655 salary here buys what about $36,419 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to psychology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

$77,040

Median pay in West Virginia. 920 people work in this job in West Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $44,100Top 10%: $146,240

Social Science Research Assistants

$51,140

Median pay in West Virginia. 550 people work in this job in West Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $30,330Top 10%: $145,770

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$193,950

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About American Public University System

Tuition and fees	$8,400 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,597 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	40,074

Psychology ranks 25th of 29 bachelor's programs at American Public University System by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($85,161), Fire Science ($73,302), and Computer and Information Science ($68,210).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Charles Town

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · private for-profit		$39,655	$31,973
Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown, WV · public	10 mi	$31,282	$22,500
Shenandoah UniversityWinchester, VA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$34,531	$26,000
Hood CollegeFrederick, MD · private nonprofit	25 mi	$23,358	$22,000
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	43 mi	$36,326	$21,000
Marymount UniversityArlington, VA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$33,277	$27,000
American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	48 mi	$25,773	$23,799
Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	50 mi	$51,959	$17,500
Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, PA · private nonprofit	50 mi	$50,040	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,655 one year after graduating and $50,168 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in West Virginia is $29,093.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of West Virginia comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the psychology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Psychology bachelor's programs in West Virginia, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All American Public University System programs, ranked43 programs by pay and debt