How much debt do University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,750, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 psychology bachelor's programs in Nebraska. That works out to about $241 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% 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 Nebraska programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychology graduates stay in Nebraska?

Most do. 81% (159 of 196) were working in Nebraska one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Lincoln, NE
About 249 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $33,034 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,750 in federal loans, less than at 75% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Nebraska.

First-year earnings$33,03463rd percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,37759% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,7502nd lowest of 8 Nebraska programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Nebraska median 72%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Nebraska	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,034	$35,218	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,377	$48,594	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,750	$25,716	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	72%	78%
Programs compared		8	875

Five years out, University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,783 more than the Nebraska median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Nebraska psychology program

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

University of Nebraska-LincolnOther Nebraska 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 59% between the first and fifth year.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln grads, year 1$33,034

University of Nebraska-Lincoln grads, year 5$52,377

All Nebraska psychology grads, year 5$48,594

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,033Median debt $21,625

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$33,092Median debt $24,090

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $241 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (195 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, 111 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $34,274.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (159 of 196) were working in Nebraska one year after graduating. Prices in the Lincoln area are about 8% below the national average, so a $33,034 salary here buys what about $36,071 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

$94,540

Median pay in Nebraska. 770 people work in this job in Nebraska. 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%: $45,370Top 10%: $143,190

Social Science Research Assistants

$56,190

Median pay in Nebraska. 230 people work in this job in Nebraska. 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%: $37,830Top 10%: $78,880

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 Nebraska-Lincoln

In-state tuition and fees	$10,434 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,584 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,747 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	19,178

Psychology ranks 45th of 55 bachelor's programs at University of Nebraska-Lincoln by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($82,398), Chemical Engineering ($79,603), and Electrical Engineering ($78,101).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Lincoln

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE · public		$33,034	$22,750
Nebraska Wesleyan UniversityLincoln, NE · private nonprofit	3 mi	$35,540	$27,000
Doane UniversityCrete, NE · private nonprofit	19 mi	$34,896	$27,000
Concordia University-NebraskaSeward, NE · private nonprofit	21 mi	$39,883	$27,000
Bellevue UniversityBellevue, NE · private nonprofit	47 mi	$38,928	$28,833
University of Nebraska at OmahaOmaha, NE · public	47 mi	$36,094	$21,783
Peru State CollegePeru, NE · public	56 mi	$32,542	$25,716

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,034 one year after graduating and $52,377 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Nebraska is $35,218.

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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Nebraska-Lincoln programs, ranked57 programs by pay and debt