How much debt do University of Dayton psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 28 psychology bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Dayton worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 76% 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 Ohio programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do University of Dayton psychology graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 57% (27 of 47) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

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

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Dayton, OH
About 97 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Dayton psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $32,953 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,95362nd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,08073% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0008th lowest of 28 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings76%Ohio median 80%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Dayton	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,953	$30,949	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,080	$47,283	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$26,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	76%	80%	78%
Programs compared		29	875

Five years out, University of Dayton graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,797 more than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio psychology program

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

University of DaytonOther Ohio 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 73% between the first and fifth year.

University of Dayton grads, year 1$32,953

University of Dayton grads, year 5$57,080

All Ohio psychology grads, year 5$47,283

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 9.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (83 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, 25 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $60,604.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

57% of graduates (27 of 47) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Dayton area are about 7% below the national average, so a $32,953 salary here buys what about $35,550 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

$101,190

Median pay in Ohio. 2,080 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $39,640Top 10%: $161,580

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,330

Median pay in Ohio. 240 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $23,770Top 10%: $104,420

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 Dayton

Tuition and fees	$49,140 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,533 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	80%
Undergraduate students	7,682

Psychology ranks 23rd of 28 bachelor's programs at University of Dayton by first-year earnings. The top three are Chemical Engineering ($79,865), Electrical Engineering ($79,409), and Computer Science ($74,052).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Dayton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit		$32,953	$25,000
Wright StateDayton, OH · public	7 mi	$32,105	$27,700
Central StateWilberforce, OH · public	16 mi	$18,266	$31,485
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	34 mi	$36,190	$24,094
IU EastRichmond, IN · public	39 mi	$33,938	$26,893
Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH · private nonprofit	44 mi	$35,245	$27,000
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	46 mi	$33,513	$24,250
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · public	51 mi	$36,209	$26,088

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,953 one year after graduating and $57,080 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Ohio is $30,949.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked29 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Dayton programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt