How much debt do Cal State San Marcos psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,312, which ranks 24th lowest of 54 psychology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $194 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Cal State San Marcos worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State San Marcos Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State San Marcos psychology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 90% (237 of 264) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
San Marcos, CA
About 315 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State San Marcos psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,355 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,312 in federal loans, less than at 91% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$31,35548th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$54,55974% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,31224th lowest of 54 California programs

Debt-to-earnings58%California median 65%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Cal State San Marcos	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,355	$30,592	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$54,559	$54,842	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,312	$20,500	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	65%	78%
Programs compared		54	875

Five years out, Cal State San Marcos graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California psychology program

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

Cal State San MarcosOther California 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 74% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State San Marcos grads, year 1$31,355

Cal State San Marcos grads, year 5$54,559

All California psychology grads, year 5$54,842

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$31,352Median debt $17,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,328Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $194 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (141 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, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,147.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (237 of 264) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $31,355 salary here buys what about $28,024 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

$116,000

Median pay in California. 12,840 people work in this job in California. 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%: $62,900Top 10%: $188,050

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

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 Cal State San Marcos

In-state tuition and fees	$8,082 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,682 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,229 / year
Admission rate	95%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	14,877

Psychology ranks 26th of 35 bachelor's programs at Cal State San Marcos by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($103,799), Accounting ($63,366), and Computer Systems Analysis ($61,054).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near San Marcos

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · public		$31,355	$18,312
UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	18 mi	$29,144	$16,124
National UniversitySan Diego, CA · private nonprofit	21 mi	$38,523	$31,250
University of Arizona Global CampusChandler, AZ · public	21 mi	$38,524	$43,875
University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$35,595	$24,293
San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · public	25 mi	$29,346	$14,301
Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan Diego, CA · private nonprofit	29 mi	$27,724	$22,411
University of Massachusetts GlobalAliso Viejo, CA · public	45 mi	$40,726	$26,703
Concordia University-IrvineIrvine, CA · private nonprofit	52 mi	$17,772	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,355 one year after graduating and $54,559 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in California is $30,592.

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 California 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 California, ranked54 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Cal State San Marcos programs, ranked35 programs by pay and debt