How much debt do San Diego Mesa College psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $7,597, which ranks 5th lowest of 9 psychology associate's programs in California. That works out to about $81 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from San Diego Mesa College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 36%.

San Diego Mesa College Psychology (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Associate's in Psychology, General
Public college
San Diego, CA
About 119 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

San Diego Mesa College psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $26,229 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,597 in federal loans, less than at 77% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$26,22948th percentile of 33 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$42,02960% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,5975th lowest of 9 California programs

Debt-to-earnings29%California median 29%, national 36%

How it compares

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

	San Diego Mesa College	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,229	$25,343	$26,229
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$42,029	$37,731	$37,024
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,597	$7,387	$11,099
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	29%	36%
Programs compared		10	33

Five years out, San Diego Mesa College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,299 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.

San Diego Mesa CollegeOther 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

San Diego Mesa College grads, year 1$26,229

San Diego Mesa College grads, year 5$42,029

All California psychology grads, year 5$37,731

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 $81 a month, or 3.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $26,229 salary here buys what about $23,442 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 San Diego Mesa College

In-state tuition and fees	$1,146 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$10,002 / year
Average net price after aid	$5,814 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	35%
Undergraduate students	16,098

Psychology ranks 2nd of 3 associate's programs at San Diego Mesa College by first-year earnings. The others are Business Administration ($40,642) and Biological and Physical Sciences ($19,521).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,229 one year after graduating and $42,029 five years after. The median across psychology associate's programs in California is $25,343.

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 associate's programs in California, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Psychology associate's programs in the US, ranked33 programs by pay and debt All San Diego Mesa College programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt