How much debt do SUNY Cortland psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,616, which ranks 29th lowest of 65 psychology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $250 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from SUNY Cortland worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 73% 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 New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

SUNY Cortland Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do SUNY Cortland psychology graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 90% (76 of 84) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Cortland, NY
About 95 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

SUNY Cortland psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $32,159 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,616 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,15955th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,61376% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,61629th lowest of 65 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings73%New York median 75%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	SUNY Cortland	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,159	$31,351	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,613	$55,015	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,616	$25,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	73%	75%	78%
Programs compared		65	875

Five years out, SUNY Cortland graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York psychology program

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

SUNY CortlandOther New York 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 76% between the first and fifth year.

SUNY Cortland grads, year 1$32,159

SUNY Cortland grads, year 5$56,613

All New York psychology grads, year 5$55,015

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 $4,327 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$31,945Median debt $23,616

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,272Median debt $24,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $250 a month, or 9.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (119 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
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, 33 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $28,438.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (76 of 84) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of New York outside metro areas are about 8% below the national average, so a $32,159 salary here buys what about $35,103 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

$114,400

Median pay in New York. 8,420 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $64,980Top 10%: $204,540

Social Science Research Assistants

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 3,040 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $35,520Top 10%: $103,080

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 SUNY Cortland

In-state tuition and fees	$8,874 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,784 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,345 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	5,901

Psychology ranks 11th of 16 bachelor's programs at SUNY Cortland by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($42,132), Rehabilitation and Therapy ($40,853), and Business Economics ($40,517).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Cortland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
SUNY CortlandCortland, NY · public		$32,159	$23,616
Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	18 mi	$36,630	$14,157
Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	20 mi	$27,814	$23,250
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	30 mi	$34,654	$26,865
Le Moyne CollegeSyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	32 mi	$35,624	$27,000
Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	37 mi	$30,023	$20,500
Hobart William Smith CollegesGeneva, NY · private nonprofit	44 mi	$38,117	$27,000
Keuka CollegeKeuka Park, NY · private nonprofit	46 mi	$31,703	$27,000
Elmira CollegeElmira, NY · private nonprofit	47 mi	$23,698	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,159 one year after graduating and $56,613 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in New York is $31,351.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All SUNY Cortland programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt