How much debt do Brooklyn College psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $10,914, which ranks 3rd lowest of 65 psychology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $116 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Brooklyn College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% 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 New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Brooklyn College psychology graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 95% (449 of 473) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public college
Brooklyn, NY
About 435 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Brooklyn College psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $29,802 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $10,914 in federal loans, less than at 99% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$29,80235th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,47790% more than year one

Median federal debt$10,9143rd lowest of 65 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings37%New York median 75%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Brooklyn College	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,802	$31,351	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,477	$55,015	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$10,914	$25,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	75%	78%
Programs compared		65	875

Five years out, Brooklyn College graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

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

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

Brooklyn CollegeOther New York 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 90% between the first and fifth year.

Brooklyn College grads, year 1$29,802

Brooklyn College grads, year 5$56,477

All New York psychology grads, year 5$55,015

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$30,580Median debt $9,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$22,609Median debt $19,625

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $116 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (153 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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, 47 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $15,388.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (449 of 473) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $29,802 salary here buys what about $26,476 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

$114,400

Median pay in New York. 8,420 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $64,980Top 10%: $204,540

Social Science Research Assistants

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 3,040 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $35,520Top 10%: $103,080

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 Brooklyn College

In-state tuition and fees	$7,452 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$15,402 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,103 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	10,543

Psychology ranks 13th of 27 bachelor's programs at Brooklyn College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($51,862), Information Science ($49,688), and Subject-Area Teacher Education ($46,233).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Brooklyn

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public		$29,802	$10,914
Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	2 mi	$39,868	$11,700
St. Joseph's University-New YorkBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$32,041	$24,492
St. Francis CollegeBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$24,455	$25,000
The New SchoolNew York, NY · private nonprofit	8 mi	$34,033	$26,000
Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · public	8 mi	$35,149	$13,470
CUNY Graduate CenterNew York, NY · public	8 mi	$48,299	$19,462
Touro UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$38,918	$20,500
New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ · public	9 mi	$28,969	$22,081

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,802 one year after graduating and $56,477 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in New York is $31,351.

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 York 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 York, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Brooklyn College programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt