How much debt do Suffolk University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 17th lowest of 32 psychology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Suffolk University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do Suffolk University psychology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 76% (65 of 85) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Boston, MA
About 61 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Suffolk University psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $38,020 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,02091st percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$60,75160% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00017th lowest of 32 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Massachusetts median 74%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Suffolk University	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,020	$36,683	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$60,751	$55,286	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,905	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	74%	78%
Programs compared		32	875

Five years out, Suffolk University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,465 more than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts psychology program

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

Suffolk UniversityOther Massachusetts 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

Suffolk University grads, year 1$38,020

Suffolk University grads, year 5$60,751

All Massachusetts psychology grads, year 5$55,286

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 $8,549 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$31,411Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$39,960Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (71 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. Separately, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (65 of 85) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $38,020 salary here buys what about $35,117 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

$115,180

Median pay in Massachusetts. 2,860 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $60,250Top 10%: $216,570

Social Science Research Assistants

$63,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,500Top 10%: $82,130

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 Suffolk University

Tuition and fees	$47,550 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,618 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	4,268

Psychology ranks 14th of 18 bachelor's programs at Suffolk University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($60,259), Accounting ($59,704), and Information Science ($56,780).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Boston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit		$38,020	$27,000
Fisher CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$36,873	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$39,175	$26,000
Lesley UniversityCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$39,211	$23,848
UMass BostonBoston, MA · public	3 mi	$38,151	$26,004
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$44,760	$18,000
Curry CollegeMilton, MA · private nonprofit	9 mi	$33,077	$27,000
Lasell UniversityNewton, MA · private nonprofit	9 mi	$33,105	$27,000
Salem StateSalem, MA · public	13 mi	$36,492	$26,435

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,020 one year after graduating and $60,751 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $36,683.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked32 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Suffolk University programs, ranked18 programs by pay and debt