How much debt do Ball State psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,612, which ranks 12th lowest of 24 psychology bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $261 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Ball State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

Ball State Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Ball State psychology graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 86% (119 of 138) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Muncie, IN
About 189 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ball State psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,305 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,612 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,30548th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,49952% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,61212th lowest of 24 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings79%Indiana median 78%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Ball State	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,305	$32,532	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,499	$45,499	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,612	$26,375	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	79%	78%	78%
Programs compared		24	875

Five years out, Ball State graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,001 more than the Indiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Indiana psychology program

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

Ball StateOther Indiana 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

Ball State grads, year 1$31,305

Ball State grads, year 5$47,499

All Indiana psychology grads, year 5$45,499

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$32,224Median debt $25,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,379Median debt $23,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $261 a month, or 10.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (175 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 57 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $25,973.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (119 of 138) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Muncie area are about 12% below the national average, so a $31,305 salary here buys what about $35,514 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

$84,990

Median pay in Indiana. 1,850 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $56,200Top 10%: $129,110

Social Science Research Assistants

$57,020

Median pay in Indiana. 210 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $30,580Top 10%: $105,750

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 Ball State

In-state tuition and fees	$11,082 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,630 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,940 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	13,988

Psychology ranks 46th of 53 bachelor's programs at Ball State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,719), Construction Management ($69,076), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($67,833).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Muncie

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ball StateMuncie, IN · public		$31,305	$24,612
Anderson University (Indiana)Anderson, IN · private nonprofit	15 mi	$27,482	$27,000
Taylor UniversityUpland, IN · private nonprofit	18 mi	$30,311	$22,750
Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, IN · private nonprofit	26 mi	$35,039	$24,188
IU EastRichmond, IN · public	36 mi	$33,938	$26,893
IU KokomoKokomo, IN · public	42 mi	$32,826	$23,531
Marian University (Indiana)Indianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	50 mi	$34,639	$26,750
IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public	50 mi	$34,432	$22,439
University of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	51 mi	$32,237	$26,962

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,305 one year after graduating and $47,499 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Indiana is $32,532.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Ball State programs, ranked54 programs by pay and debt