How much debt do Russell Sage College psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 34th lowest of 65 psychology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Russell Sage College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay.

Do Russell Sage College psychology graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 100% (31 of 31) were working in New York one year after graduating.

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

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit college
Troy, NY
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Russell Sage College psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $37,821 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$37,82190th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,27128% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,00034th lowest of 65 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings66%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.

	Russell Sage College	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,821	$31,351	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,271	$55,015	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$25,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	75%	78%
Programs compared		65	875

Five years out, Russell Sage College graduates earn about the national figure but about $6,744 less than the New York median. Several New York programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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.

Russell Sage 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 28% between the first and fifth year.

Russell Sage College grads, year 1$37,821

Russell Sage College grads, year 5$48,271

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (41 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (31 of 31) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the Albany 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

$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 Russell Sage College

Tuition and fees	$38,164 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,917 / year
Admission rate	53%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	56%
Undergraduate students	1,244

Psychology ranks 3rd of 5 bachelor's programs at Russell Sage College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,302), Business Administration ($37,953), and Psychology ($37,821).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Troy

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Russell Sage CollegeTroy, NY · private nonprofit		$37,821	$25,000
Siena UniversityLoudonville, NY · private nonprofit	3 mi	$32,022	$27,000
University at AlbanyAlbany, NY · public	7 mi	$30,456	$22,056
Excelsior UniversityAlbany, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$43,574	$28,914
Empire State UniversitySaratoga Springs, NY · public	25 mi	$39,188	$29,050
Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$43,943	$13,416
Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, NY · private nonprofit	26 mi	$29,107	$18,322
Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsNorth Adams, MA · public	30 mi	$32,855	$25,824

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,821 one year after graduating and $48,271 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 Russell Sage College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt