How much debt do TCNJ psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,905, which ranks 7th lowest of 19 psychology bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $264 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from TCNJ worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 86% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do TCNJ psychology graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 84% (72 of 86) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public college
Ewing, NJ
About 134 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

TCNJ psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $28,920 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,905 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,92028th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,599127% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,9057th lowest of 19 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings86%New Jersey median 86%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	TCNJ	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,920	$28,969	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,599	$53,838	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,905	$25,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	86%	86%	78%
Programs compared		19	875

Five years out, TCNJ graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,762 more than the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey psychology program

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

TCNJOther New Jersey 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 127% between the first and fifth year.

TCNJ grads, year 1$28,920

TCNJ grads, year 5$65,599

All New Jersey psychology grads, year 5$53,838

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 more in their first year than 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$32,510Median debt $24,287

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$25,751Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $264 a month, or 11.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (110 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
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, 27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $33,363.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (72 of 86) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Trenton area are about 3% above the national average, so a $28,920 salary here buys what about $28,029 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

$127,090

Median pay in New Jersey. 2,700 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $57,180Top 10%: $224,050

Social Science Research Assistants

$62,760

Median pay in New Jersey. 370 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $37,960Top 10%: $105,390

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 TCNJ

In-state tuition and fees	$19,632 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,752 / year
Average net price after aid	$27,646 / year
Admission rate	62%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	86%
Undergraduate students	7,105

Psychology ranks 21st of 23 bachelor's programs at TCNJ by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($85,986), Computer and Information Science ($84,539), and Computer Engineering ($84,241).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Ewing

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
TCNJEwing, NJ · public		$28,920	$24,905
Rider UniversityLawrenceville, NJ · private nonprofit	2 mi	$38,118	$27,000
Holy Family UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$24,833	$27,000
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	24 mi	$31,280	$25,000
Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$29,772	$27,000
Gwynedd Mercy UniversityGwynedd Valley, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$38,046	$31,000
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$32,348	$27,000
Chestnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$33,918	$27,166
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	28 mi	$30,054	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,920 one year after graduating and $65,599 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $28,969.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All TCNJ programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt