How much debt do Loyola Marymount University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks 29th lowest of 54 psychology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Loyola Marymount University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 66% 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 California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Loyola Marymount University psychology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 87% (75 of 86) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Los Angeles, CA
About 156 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Loyola Marymount University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $30,848 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, less than at 85% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$30,84844th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,365109% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,50029th lowest of 54 California programs

Debt-to-earnings66%California median 65%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Loyola Marymount University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,848	$30,592	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,365	$54,842	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,500	$20,500	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	65%	78%
Programs compared		54	875

Five years out, Loyola Marymount University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,524 more than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California psychology program

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

Loyola Marymount UniversityOther California 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 109% between the first and fifth year.

Loyola Marymount University grads, year 1$30,848

Loyola Marymount University grads, year 5$64,365

All California psychology grads, year 5$54,842

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $22,250 against $19,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$30,848Median debt $22,250

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,096Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $217 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (102 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
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, 53 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $67,898.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (75 of 86) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $30,848 salary here buys what about $27,163 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

$116,000

Median pay in California. 12,840 people work in this job in California. 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%: $62,900Top 10%: $188,050

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. 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%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

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 Loyola Marymount University

Tuition and fees	$62,357 / year
Average net price after aid	$48,381 / year
Admission rate	45%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	79%
Undergraduate students	7,094

Psychology ranks 14th of 21 bachelor's programs at Loyola Marymount University by first-year earnings. The top three are Civil Engineering ($87,790), Computer and Information Science ($79,763), and Accounting ($70,960).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit		$30,848	$20,500
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	7 mi	$30,614	$14,500
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$34,139	$14,000
Chicago School at Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	11 mi	$39,596	$40,645
Cal State Dominguez HillsCarson, CA · public	12 mi	$29,727	$13,625
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	16 mi	$37,567	$24,994
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$31,002	$19,764
Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$23,438	$22,580
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	20 mi	$28,603	$13,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,848 one year after graduating and $64,365 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in California is $30,592.

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 California 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 California, ranked54 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Loyola Marymount University programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt