How much debt do Bowie State psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $28,375, which ranks 15th lowest of 17 psychology bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $301 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Bowie State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do Bowie State psychology graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 89% (56 of 63) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Bowie, MD
About 87 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bowie State psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $36,765 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $28,375 in federal loans, more than at 89% of psychology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$36,76586th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,97344% more than year one

Median federal debt$28,37515th lowest of 17 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Maryland median 78%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Bowie State	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,765	$31,463	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,973	$54,434	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$28,375	$25,283	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	78%	78%
Programs compared		17	875

Five years out, Bowie State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland psychology program

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

Bowie StateOther Maryland 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 44% between the first and fifth year.

Bowie State grads, year 1$36,765

Bowie State grads, year 5$52,973

All Maryland psychology grads, year 5$54,434

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 $5,612 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,275Median debt $29,875

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$41,887Median debt $24,834

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $301 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (72 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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. Separately, 37 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $31,350.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (56 of 63) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $36,765 salary here buys what about $33,765 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

$100,580

Median pay nationwide. 2,140 people work in this job in Maryland. 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.

Social Science Research Assistants

$65,550

Median pay in Maryland. 700 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $47,260Top 10%: $113,020

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 Bowie State

In-state tuition and fees	$9,218 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,938 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,298 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	38%
Undergraduate students	5,043

Psychology ranks 7th of 12 bachelor's programs at Bowie State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($70,278), Other Computer Sciences ($58,006), and Teacher Education ($52,619).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Bowie

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public		$36,765	$28,375
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	9 mi	$42,056	$23,465
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	10 mi	$35,933	$20,500
Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · private nonprofit	14 mi	$24,106	$26,000
Trinity Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	15 mi	$26,065	$32,866
Gallaudet UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	15 mi	$20,185	$14,097
Howard UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	15 mi	$18,934	$25,000
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	17 mi	$35,721	$20,500
Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	18 mi	$51,959	$17,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,765 one year after graduating and $52,973 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Maryland is $31,463.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked17 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Bowie State programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt