How much debt do IU Indianapolis psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,439, which ranks 5th lowest of 24 psychology bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $238 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from IU Indianapolis worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Indiana programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do IU Indianapolis psychology graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 90% (193 of 215) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Indianapolis, IN
About 245 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

IU Indianapolis psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $34,432 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,439 in federal loans, less than at 78% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Indiana.

First-year earnings$34,43273rd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,84533% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,4395th lowest of 24 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Indiana median 78%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	IU Indianapolis	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,432	$32,532	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,845	$45,499	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,439	$26,375	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	65%	78%	78%
Programs compared		24	875

Five years out, IU Indianapolis graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Indiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Indiana psychology program

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

IU IndianapolisOther Indiana 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 33% between the first and fifth year.

IU Indianapolis grads, year 1$34,432

IU Indianapolis grads, year 5$45,845

All Indiana psychology grads, year 5$45,499

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 $2,639 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,174Median debt $22,514

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$35,813Median debt $21,931

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $238 a month, or 8.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (280 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–24%
In default	5% 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 $15,670.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (193 of 215) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Indianapolis area are about 4% below the national average, so a $34,432 salary here buys what about $35,981 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

$84,990

Median pay in Indiana. 1,850 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $56,200Top 10%: $129,110

Social Science Research Assistants

$57,020

Median pay in Indiana. 210 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $30,580Top 10%: $105,750

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 IU Indianapolis

In-state tuition and fees	$10,762 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$34,891 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,668 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	13,830

Psychology ranks 40th of 49 bachelor's programs at IU Indianapolis by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($73,122), Computer Engineering ($71,986), and Biomedical Engineering ($71,852).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Indianapolis

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public		$34,432	$22,439
Marian University (Indiana)Indianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	3 mi	$34,639	$26,750
University of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	5 mi	$32,237	$26,962
Franklin CollegeFranklin, IN · private nonprofit	21 mi	$31,769	$27,000
Anderson University (Indiana)Anderson, IN · private nonprofit	36 mi	$27,482	$27,000
IU BloomingtonBloomington, IN · public	46 mi	$33,810	$20,864
IU KokomoKokomo, IN · public	48 mi	$32,826	$23,531
Ball StateMuncie, IN · public	50 mi	$31,305	$24,612
Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, IN · private nonprofit	58 mi	$35,039	$24,188

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,432 one year after graduating and $45,845 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Indiana is $32,532.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All IU Indianapolis programs, ranked62 programs by pay and debt