How much debt do University of Northern Colorado psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Northern Colorado 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 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Colorado programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do University of Northern Colorado psychology graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 84% (133 of 159) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Greeley, CO
About 221 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Northern Colorado psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $32,351 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,35157th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,16543% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,0006th lowest of 14 Colorado programs

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

How it compares

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

	University of Northern Colorado	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,351	$33,234	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,165	$47,223	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,000	$23,869	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	74%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, University of Northern Colorado graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado psychology program

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

University of Northern ColoradoOther Colorado 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 43% between the first and fifth year.

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 1$32,351

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 5$46,165

All Colorado psychology grads, year 5$47,223

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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $24,000 against $21,375.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,096Median debt $24,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$29,250Median debt $21,375

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (163 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, 54 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $26,847.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

84% of graduates (133 of 159) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Greeley area are about the same as the national average.

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

$113,290

Median pay in Colorado. 1,170 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $46,870Top 10%: $161,700

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,430

Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $42,590Top 10%: $63,610

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 Northern Colorado

In-state tuition and fees	$12,416 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,266 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,760 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	51%
Undergraduate students	5,598

Psychology ranks 25th of 32 bachelor's programs at University of Northern Colorado by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,308), Computer Engineering ($56,557), and Business Administration ($50,739).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Greeley

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public		$32,351	$23,000
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	23 mi	$37,121	$23,147
Naropa UniversityBoulder, CO · private nonprofit	41 mi	$17,708	$33,250
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	41 mi	$30,176	$20,500
CU DenverDenver, CO · public	47 mi	$36,482	$28,000
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	49 mi	$37,702	$24,591
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	53 mi	$31,955	$21,083
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewood, CO · private nonprofit	53 mi	$36,537	$44,088

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,351 one year after graduating and $46,165 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $33,234.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Northern Colorado programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt