How much debt do Augustana University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 psychology bachelor's programs in South Dakota. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Augustana University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%.

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

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Sioux Falls, SD
About 29 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Augustana University psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $39,098 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in South Dakota.

First-year earnings$39,09894th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,20016% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0004th lowest of 5 South Dakota programs

Debt-to-earnings69%South Dakota median 76%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Augustana University	South Dakota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,098	$35,425	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,200	$46,748	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$25,608	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	76%	78%
Programs compared		5	875

Five years out, Augustana University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,548 less than the South Dakota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every South Dakota psychology program

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

Augustana UniversityOther South Dakota 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 16% between the first and fifth year.

Augustana University grads, year 1$39,098

Augustana University grads, year 5$45,200

All South Dakota psychology grads, year 5$46,748

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 $286 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Sioux Falls area are about 9% below the national average, so a $39,098 salary here buys what about $43,140 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

$80,130

Median pay in South Dakota. 120 people work in this job in South Dakota. 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%: $63,630Top 10%: $123,210

Social Science Research Assistants

$44,820

Median pay in South Dakota. 40 people work in this job in South Dakota. 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%: $28,260Top 10%: $50,670

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 Augustana University

Tuition and fees	$40,160 / year
Average net price after aid	$23,894 / year
Admission rate	68%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	1,965

Psychology ranks 5th of 6 bachelor's programs at Augustana University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($72,237), Business Administration ($50,516), and Political Science ($46,646).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Sioux Falls

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Augustana UniversitySioux Falls, SD · private nonprofit		$39,098	$27,000
University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls, SD · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$27,241	$24,856
University of South DakotaVermillion, SD · public	52 mi	$31,696	$24,593
South Dakota StateBrookings, SD · public	55 mi	$35,425	$25,608

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,098 one year after graduating and $45,200 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in South Dakota is $35,425.

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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Augustana University programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt