How much debt do Cornerstone University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $37,854, which ranks 20th lowest of 21 psychology bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $401 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Cornerstone University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 110% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Cornerstone University psychology graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 86% (36 of 42) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Grand Rapids, MI
About 18 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cornerstone University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $34,505 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $37,854 in federal loans, more than at 98% of psychology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$34,50573rd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,8834% more than year one

Median federal debt$37,85420th lowest of 21 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings110%Michigan median 88%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Cornerstone University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,505	$30,100	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,883	$48,393	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$37,854	$26,724	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	110%	88%	78%
Programs compared		21	875

Five years out, Cornerstone University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,510 less than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan psychology program

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

Cornerstone UniversityOther Michigan 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 4% between the first and fifth year.

Cornerstone University grads, year 1$34,505

Cornerstone University grads, year 5$35,883

All Michigan psychology grads, year 5$48,393

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 $401 a month, or 13.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (36 of 42) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Grand Rapids area are about 4% below the national average, so a $34,505 salary here buys what about $36,113 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

$84,730

Median pay in Michigan. 2,170 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $61,290Top 10%: $134,980

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,210

Median pay in Michigan. 750 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $41,970Top 10%: $82,870

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 Cornerstone University

Tuition and fees	$23,000 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,301 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	1,298

Psychology ranks 6th of 8 bachelor's programs at Cornerstone University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($53,327), Teacher Education ($45,753), and Marketing ($42,627).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Grand Rapids

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cornerstone UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit		$34,505	$37,854
Aquinas CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	2 mi	$31,789	$27,000
Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	3 mi	$27,440	$23,767
Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	15 mi	$30,100	$25,187
Hope CollegeHolland, MI · private nonprofit	29 mi	$28,135	$24,656
Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo, MI · private nonprofit	48 mi	$26,952	$24,650
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	48 mi	$28,890	$27,000
Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	49 mi	$29,503	$27,125
University of OlivetOlivet, MI · private nonprofit	50 mi	$25,656	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,505 one year after graduating and $35,883 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Michigan is $30,100.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Cornerstone University programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt