How much debt do South Dakota State psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,608, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 psychology bachelor's programs in South Dakota. That works out to about $271 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from South Dakota State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do South Dakota State psychology graduates stay in South Dakota?

Most do. 59% (27 of 46) were working in South Dakota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Brookings, SD
About 81 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

South Dakota State psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $35,425 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,608 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Two other South Dakota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,42580th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,29636% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,6083rd lowest of 5 South Dakota programs

Debt-to-earnings72%South Dakota median 76%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	South Dakota State	South Dakota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,425	$35,425	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,296	$46,748	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,608	$25,608	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	76%	78%
Programs compared		5	875

Five years out, South Dakota State graduates earn about the national figure and about $1,548 more than the South Dakota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every South Dakota psychology program

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

South Dakota StateOther South Dakota 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 36% between the first and fifth year.

South Dakota State grads, year 1$35,425

South Dakota State grads, year 5$48,296

All South Dakota psychology grads, year 5$46,748

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 $4,308 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$33,825Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$38,133Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $271 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (65 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

59% of graduates (27 of 46) were working in South Dakota one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of South Dakota outside metro areas are about 13% below the national average, so a $35,425 salary here buys what about $40,868 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

$80,130

Median pay in South Dakota. 120 people work in this job in South Dakota. 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%: $63,630Top 10%: $123,210

Social Science Research Assistants

$44,820

Median pay in South Dakota. 40 people work in this job in South Dakota. 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%: $28,260Top 10%: $50,670

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 South Dakota State

In-state tuition and fees	$9,299 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$12,809 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,841 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	9,198

Psychology ranks 31st of 35 bachelor's programs at South Dakota State by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Engineering Technology ($77,949), Computer and Information Science ($73,770), and Nursing ($71,758).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Brookings

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
South Dakota StateBrookings, SD · public		$35,425	$25,608
Southwest Minnesota StateMarshall, MN · public	51 mi	$33,099	$26,500
University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls, SD · private nonprofit	54 mi	$27,241	$24,856
Augustana UniversitySioux Falls, SD · private nonprofit	55 mi	$39,098	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,425 one year after graduating and $48,296 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in South Dakota is $35,425.

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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All South Dakota State programs, ranked36 programs by pay and debt