How much debt do Eastern Washington University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,628, which ranks 6th lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $208 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Eastern Washington University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 57% 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 Washington programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do Eastern Washington University psychology graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 77% (77 of 100) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Cheney, WA
About 108 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Eastern Washington University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $34,594 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,628 in federal loans, less than at 88% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Washington.

First-year earnings$34,59474th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,27548% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,6286th lowest of 14 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings57%Washington median 62%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Eastern Washington University	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,594	$33,532	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,275	$55,281	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,628	$22,525	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	57%	62%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, Eastern Washington University graduates earn more than the national figure but about $4,006 less than the Washington median. Several Washington programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington psychology program

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

Eastern Washington UniversityOther Washington 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 48% between the first and fifth year.

Eastern Washington University grads, year 1$34,594

Eastern Washington University grads, year 5$51,275

All Washington psychology grads, year 5$55,281

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 $1,900 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$34,108Median debt $20,638

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,008Median debt $16,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $208 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (142 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
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, 30 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $13,580.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (77 of 100) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Spokane area are about the same as the national average.

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

$115,240

Median pay in Washington. 1,270 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $78,940Top 10%: $179,470

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,420

Median pay in Washington. 450 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $45,530Top 10%: $75,720

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 Eastern Washington University

In-state tuition and fees	$8,586 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,959 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,886 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	6,222

Psychology ranks 22nd of 32 bachelor's programs at Eastern Washington University by first-year earnings. The top three are Engineering Technology ($70,789), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($67,984), and Computer and Information Science ($67,004).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Cheney

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Eastern Washington UniversityCheney, WA · public		$34,594	$19,628
Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, WA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$33,554	$27,000
Whitworth UniversitySpokane, WA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$29,005	$25,062
Washington StatePullman, WA · public	56 mi	$36,216	$21,500
University of IdahoMoscow, ID · public	59 mi	$28,289	$25,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,594 one year after graduating and $51,275 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Washington is $33,532.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Eastern Washington University programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt