How much debt do University of Central Oklahoma psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,758, which ranks 6th lowest of 10 psychology bachelor's programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $231 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Central Oklahoma worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 74% 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 Oklahoma programs report higher pay.

University of Central Oklahoma Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Central Oklahoma psychology graduates stay in Oklahoma?

Most do. 91% (114 of 125) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Edmond, OK
About 126 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Central Oklahoma psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $29,392 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,758 in federal loans, less than at 81% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Oklahoma.

First-year earnings$29,39232nd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,52062% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,7586th lowest of 10 Oklahoma programs

Debt-to-earnings74%Oklahoma median 70%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Central Oklahoma	Oklahoma	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,392	$32,313	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,520	$45,647	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,758	$21,600	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	74%	70%	78%
Programs compared		10	875

Five years out, University of Central Oklahoma graduates earn less than the national figure but about $1,873 more than the Oklahoma median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oklahoma psychology program

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

University of Central OklahomaOther Oklahoma 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 62% between the first and fifth year.

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 1$29,392

University of Central Oklahoma grads, year 5$47,520

All Oklahoma psychology grads, year 5$45,647

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 $3,316 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$28,686Median debt $24,357

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,002Median debt $17,792

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $231 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (127 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (114 of 125) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the Oklahoma City area are about 10% below the national average, so a $29,392 salary here buys what about $32,510 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

$79,950

Median pay in Oklahoma. 950 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $62,150Top 10%: $205,790

Social Science Research Assistants

$69,090

Median pay in Oklahoma. 100 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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%: $40,140Top 10%: $115,660

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 University of Central Oklahoma

In-state tuition and fees	$8,818 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,704 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,309 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	10,170

Psychology ranks 30th of 35 bachelor's programs at University of Central Oklahoma by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,438), Mechanical Engineering ($71,362), and Electrical Engineering ($69,156).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Edmond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public		$29,392	$21,758
Mid-America Christian UniversityOklahoma City, OK · private nonprofit	22 mi	$28,695	$38,458
Langston UniversityLangston, OK · public	23 mi	$30,729	$30,495
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	31 mi	$32,657	$21,700
Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	39 mi	$32,302	$20,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,392 one year after graduating and $47,520 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Oklahoma is $32,313.

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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Central Oklahoma programs, ranked35 programs by pay and debt