How much debt do University of Louisville psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $249 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Louisville worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Kentucky programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do University of Louisville psychology graduates stay in Kentucky?

Most do. 82% (126 of 154) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Louisville, KY
About 258 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Louisville psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $30,416 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Kentucky programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,41640th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$47,91558% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,5004th lowest of 14 Kentucky programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Kentucky median 89%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Louisville	Kentucky	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,416	$28,790	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$47,915	$42,379	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,500	$26,668	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	89%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, University of Louisville graduates earn about the national figure and about $5,536 more than the Kentucky median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky psychology program

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

University of LouisvilleOther Kentucky 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 58% between the first and fifth year.

University of Louisville grads, year 1$30,416

University of Louisville grads, year 5$47,915

All Kentucky psychology grads, year 5$42,379

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 $2,495 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$29,622Median debt $25,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,117Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $249 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (207 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	15–19%
In default	5% 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, 47 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (126 of 154) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Louisville area are about 7% below the national average, so a $30,416 salary here buys what about $32,679 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

$99,140

Median pay in Kentucky. 710 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $49,220Top 10%: $174,820

Social Science Research Assistants

$66,390

Median pay in Kentucky. 1,190 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $45,050Top 10%: $106,590

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 Louisville

In-state tuition and fees	$13,136 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,482 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,988 / year
Admission rate	79%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	14,727

Psychology ranks 26th of 34 bachelor's programs at University of Louisville by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($77,732), Industrial Engineering ($74,163), and Computer Engineering ($72,710).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Louisville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY · public		$30,416	$23,500
Spalding UniversityLouisville, KY · private nonprofit	2 mi	$40,262	$31,750
Bellarmine UniversityLouisville, KY · private nonprofit	3 mi	$29,028	$26,376
IU SoutheastNew Albany, IN · public	9 mi	$33,438	$21,988
Hanover CollegeHanover, IN · private nonprofit	38 mi	$34,528	$27,000
Midway UniversityMidway, KY · private nonprofit	59 mi	$27,403	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,416 one year after graduating and $47,915 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Kentucky is $28,790.

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Louisville programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt