Is a psychology degree from Maryville University of Saint Louis worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Missouri programs before deciding.

Maryville University of Saint Louis Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Maryville University of Saint Louis psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 22 psychology bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Saint Louis, MO
About 95 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Maryville University of Saint Louis psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $25,204 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, less than at 82% of psychology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Missouri median of $31,663.

First-year earnings$25,2048th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,03179% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5003rd lowest of 22 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings85%Missouri median 80%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Maryville University of Saint Louis	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,204	$31,663	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,031	$44,441	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$25,500	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	85%	80%	78%
Programs compared		23	875

Five years out, Maryville University of Saint Louis graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri psychology program

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

Maryville University of Saint LouisOther Missouri 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 79% between the first and fifth year.

Maryville University of Saint Louis grads, year 1$25,204

Maryville University of Saint Louis grads, year 5$45,031

All Missouri psychology grads, year 5$44,441

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 $228 a month, or 10.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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, 26 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $38,324.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the St. Louis area are about 5% below the national average, so a $25,204 salary here buys what about $26,506 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

$99,410

Median pay in Missouri. 840 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $45,770Top 10%: $141,810

Social Science Research Assistants

$65,940

Median pay in Missouri. 750 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $39,250Top 10%: $79,860

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 Maryville University of Saint Louis

Tuition and fees	$27,166 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,066 / year
Admission rate	95%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	5,658

Psychology ranks 9th of 9 bachelor's programs at Maryville University of Saint Louis by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Science ($69,590), Nursing ($69,116), and Intelligence and Information Operations ($61,299).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Saint Louis

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit		$25,204	$21,500
Missouri Baptist UniversitySaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit	2 mi	$31,368	$26,530
Lindenwood UniversitySaint Charles, MO · private nonprofit	10 mi	$28,934	$25,131
UMSLSaint Louis, MO · public	11 mi	$31,663	$22,977
Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit	15 mi	$34,295	$26,000
Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL · public	29 mi	$32,459	$25,000
McKendree UniversityLebanon, IL · private nonprofit	37 mi	$31,919	$23,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,204 one year after graduating and $45,031 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Missouri is $31,663.

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 Missouri 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 Missouri, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Maryville University of Saint Louis programs, ranked9 programs by pay and debt