How much debt do University of Oregon psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,122, which ranks the lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $235 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Oregon worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% 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 Oregon programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do University of Oregon psychology graduates stay in Oregon?

Most do. 63% (179 of 284) were working in Oregon one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Eugene, OR

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Oregon psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,398 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,122 in federal loans, less than at 79% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Oregon.

First-year earnings$31,39849th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,90268% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,122The lowest of 14 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Oregon median 76%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Oregon	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,398	$32,422	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,902	$49,728	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,122	$24,523	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	76%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, University of Oregon graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,175 more than the Oregon median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon psychology program

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

University of OregonOther Oregon 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 68% between the first and fifth year.

University of Oregon grads, year 1$31,398

University of Oregon grads, year 5$52,902

All Oregon psychology grads, year 5$49,728

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 $1,666 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$31,101Median debt $24,514

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,767Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $235 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (329 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	30–34%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
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, 154 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $68,281.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

63% of graduates (179 of 284) were working in Oregon one year after graduating. Prices in the Eugene area are about 2% above the national average, so a $31,398 salary here buys what about $30,913 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

$134,350

Median pay in Oregon. 540 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $93,600Top 10%: $163,340

Social Science Research Assistants

$56,770

Median pay in Oregon. 220 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $48,150Top 10%: $85,110

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$174,980

Median pay in Oregon. 60 people work in this job in Oregon. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $92,450Top 10%: $174,980

About University of Oregon

In-state tuition and fees	$16,137 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$44,598 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,182 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	72%
Undergraduate students	20,497

Psychology ranks 17th of 34 bachelor's programs at University of Oregon by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($70,055), Accounting ($58,449), and Architecture ($51,933).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Eugene

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of OregonEugene, OR · public		$31,398	$22,122
Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	37 mi	$34,736	$25,340
Western Oregon UniversityMonmouth, OR · public	56 mi	$34,038	$23,448
Corban UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	58 mi	$32,244	$23,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,398 one year after graduating and $52,902 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Oregon is $32,422.

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