How much debt do Southern University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $35,000, which ranks 14th lowest of 15 psychology bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $371 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Southern University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 112% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Southern University psychology graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 70% (33 of 47) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Baton Rouge, LA
About 37 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,165 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $35,000 in federal loans, more than at 97% of psychology programs in the country. Several Louisiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,16547th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$37,10019% more than year one

Median federal debt$35,00014th lowest of 15 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings112%Louisiana median 97%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Southern University	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,165	$26,988	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$37,100	$42,246	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$35,000	$26,250	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	112%	97%	78%
Programs compared		15	875

Five years out, Southern University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,146 less than the Louisiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana psychology program

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

Southern UniversityOther Louisiana 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 19% between the first and fifth year.

Southern University grads, year 1$31,165

Southern University grads, year 5$37,100

All Louisiana psychology grads, year 5$42,246

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 $371 a month, or 14.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (69 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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. Separately, 24 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,234.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

70% of graduates (33 of 47) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Baton Rouge area are about 9% below the national average, so a $31,165 salary here buys what about $34,330 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

$71,330

Median pay in Louisiana. 320 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $46,500Top 10%: $121,750

Social Science Research Assistants

$52,600

Median pay in Louisiana. 340 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $43,890Top 10%: $64,290

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 Southern University

In-state tuition and fees	$9,922 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,272 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,077 / year
Admission rate	35%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	27%
Undergraduate students	5,519

Psychology ranks 11th of 16 bachelor's programs at Southern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($79,871), Mechanical Engineering ($75,001), and Civil Engineering ($60,219).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Baton Rouge

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Southern UniversityBaton Rouge, LA · public		$31,165	$35,000
LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	8 mi	$23,859	$21,500
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · public	43 mi	$20,870	$24,784
UL LafayetteLafayette, LA · public	54 mi	$22,696	$25,000
Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public	56 mi	$24,055	$23,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,165 one year after graduating and $37,100 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $26,988.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Southern University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt