How much debt do Southeastern University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 14th lowest of 24 psychology bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Southeastern University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 93% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

Southeastern University Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Southeastern University psychology graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 53% (20 of 38) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Lakeland, FL
About 86 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southeastern University psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $26,915 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$26,91515th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$42,17157% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,00014th lowest of 24 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings93%Florida median 80%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Southeastern University	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,915	$30,179	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$42,171	$44,672	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$23,675	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	93%	80%	78%
Programs compared		24	875

Five years out, Southeastern University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,501 less than the Florida median. Several Florida programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida psychology program

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

Southeastern UniversityOther Florida 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 57% between the first and fifth year.

Southeastern University grads, year 1$26,915

Southeastern University grads, year 5$42,171

All Florida psychology grads, year 5$44,672

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 11.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $23,333.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

53% of graduates (20 of 38) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Lakeland area are about 3% below the national average, so a $26,915 salary here buys what about $27,707 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

$85,610

Median pay in Florida. 3,040 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $55,480Top 10%: $259,990

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,700

Median pay in Florida. 1,130 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $33,190Top 10%: $81,520

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 Southeastern University

Tuition and fees	$32,950 / year
Average net price after aid	$31,942 / year
Admission rate	53%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	4,813

Psychology ranks 13th of 14 bachelor's programs at Southeastern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($70,612), Subject-Area Teacher Education ($47,966), and Teacher Education ($42,582).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Lakeland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southeastern UniversityLakeland, FL · private nonprofit		$26,915	$25,000
Florida Southern CollegeLakeland, FL · private nonprofit	2 mi	$28,316	$25,500
Saint Leo UniversitySaint Leo, FL · private nonprofit	30 mi	$36,139	$32,461
USFTampa, FL · public	30 mi	$32,438	$21,267
University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	34 mi	$31,016	$25,730
Eckerd CollegeSaint Petersburg, FL · private nonprofit	52 mi	$25,930	$27,000
Rollins CollegeWinter Park, FL · private nonprofit	52 mi	$28,364	$27,000
UCFOrlando, FL · public	59 mi	$31,013	$19,432

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,915 one year after graduating and $42,171 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Florida is $30,179.

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 Florida 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 Florida, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Southeastern University programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt