How much debt do American University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,799, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 psychology bachelor's programs in District of Columbia. That works out to about $252 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from American University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other District of Columbia programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Washington, DC
About 79 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

American University psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $25,773 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,799 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Two other District of Columbia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,77310th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$62,657143% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,7993rd lowest of 6 District of Columbia programs

Debt-to-earnings92%District of Columbia median 100%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	American University	District of Columbia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,773	$24,940	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$62,657	$61,999	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,799	$25,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	100%	78%
Programs compared		6	875

Five years out, American University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the District of Columbia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every District of Columbia psychology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the District of Columbia medians.

American UniversityOther District of Columbia 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 143% between the first and fifth year.

American University grads, year 1$25,773

American University grads, year 5$62,657

All District of Columbia psychology grads, year 5$61,999

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,546 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,474Median debt $25,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,020Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $252 a month, or 11.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (54 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $25,773 salary here buys what about $23,670 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

$107,000

Median pay in District of Columbia. 220 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $70,400Top 10%: $324,950

Social Science Research Assistants

$65,330

Median pay in District of Columbia. 1,560 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $50,810Top 10%: $112,030

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 University

Tuition and fees	$58,771 / year
Average net price after aid	$41,943 / year
Admission rate	62%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	7,266

Psychology ranks 22nd of 25 bachelor's programs at American University by first-year earnings. The top three are Finance ($83,505), Business Administration ($58,299), and Economics ($58,151).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Washington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
American UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit		$25,773	$23,799
Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	2 mi	$51,959	$17,500
Marymount UniversityArlington, VA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$33,277	$27,000
Howard UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	4 mi	$18,934	$25,000
Trinity Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	5 mi	$26,065	$32,866
Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · private nonprofit	5 mi	$24,106	$26,000
Gallaudet UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	5 mi	$20,185	$14,097
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	9 mi	$35,933	$20,500
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	13 mi	$42,056	$23,465

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,773 one year after graduating and $62,657 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in District of Columbia is $24,940.

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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All American University programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt