How much debt do University of Puget Sound psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 13th lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Puget Sound worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 105% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Washington programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of Puget Sound psychology graduates stay in Washington?

Many leave. 46% (30 of 65) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit university
Tacoma, WA
About 43 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Puget Sound psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $25,596 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Washington programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,5969th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,554117% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00013th lowest of 14 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings105%Washington median 62%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Puget Sound	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,596	$33,532	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,554	$55,281	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$22,525	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	105%	62%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, University of Puget Sound graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Washington median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington psychology program

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

University of Puget SoundOther Washington 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 117% between the first and fifth year.

University of Puget Sound grads, year 1$25,596

University of Puget Sound grads, year 5$55,554

All Washington psychology grads, year 5$55,281

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,623Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$26,281Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 13.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (61 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
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, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $93,441.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

46% of graduates (30 of 65) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $25,596 salary here buys what about $23,032 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

$115,240

Median pay in Washington. 1,270 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $78,940Top 10%: $179,470

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,420

Median pay in Washington. 450 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $45,530Top 10%: $75,720

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 Puget Sound

Tuition and fees	$62,898 / year
Average net price after aid	$38,394 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	1,594

Psychology ranks 15th of 27 bachelor's programs at University of Puget Sound by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($66,055), Business Administration ($49,106), and Economics ($48,153).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Tacoma

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Puget SoundTacoma, WA · private nonprofit		$25,596	$27,000
Pacific Lutheran UniversityTacoma, WA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$30,757	$22,500
Saint Martin's UniversityLacey, WA · private nonprofit	22 mi	$33,509	$24,125
Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$37,452	$19,500
Seattle Pacific UniversitySeattle, WA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$40,264	$26,000
University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	28 mi	$34,660	$17,426
Northwest UniversityKirkland, WA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$30,547	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,596 one year after graduating and $55,554 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Washington is $33,532.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Puget Sound programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt