How much debt do Sonoma State psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,500, which ranks 21st lowest of 54 psychology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Sonoma State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% 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.

Sonoma State Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Sonoma State psychology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 94% (185 of 196) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Rohnert Park, CA
About 289 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sonoma State psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $33,006 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,500 in federal loans, less than at 93% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$33,00662nd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$54,61765% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,50021st lowest of 54 California programs

Debt-to-earnings50%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.

	Sonoma State	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,006	$30,592	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$54,617	$54,842	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,500	$20,500	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	65%	78%
Programs compared		54	875

Five years out, Sonoma State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as 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.

Sonoma StateOther 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

Sonoma State grads, year 1$33,006

Sonoma State grads, year 5$54,617

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 $2,532 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$32,277Median debt $16,499

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$34,809Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $175 a month, or 6.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (156 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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, 61 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,821.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (185 of 196) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Santa Rosa area are about 8% above the national average, so a $33,006 salary here buys what about $30,622 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 Sonoma State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,624 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,224 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,885 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	5,166

Psychology ranks 18th of 24 bachelor's programs at Sonoma State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($125,646), Electrical Engineering ($78,247), and Computer Science ($66,481).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Rohnert Park

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public		$33,006	$16,500
Dominican University of CaliforniaSan Rafael, CA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$31,825	$27,000
University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$36,734	$24,315
San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	44 mi	$34,803	$15,000
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA · private nonprofit	46 mi	$28,018	$26,998
Cal State East BayHayward, CA · public	58 mi	$37,702	$15,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,006 one year after graduating and $54,617 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 Sonoma State programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt