How much debt do University of Rhode Island psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,880, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 psychology bachelor's programs in Rhode Island. That works out to about $253 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of Rhode Island worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 64% 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.

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

Q: Do University of Rhode Island psychology graduates stay in Rhode Island?

Most do. 62% (156 of 253) were working in Rhode Island one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Kingston, RI
About 241 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Rhode Island psychology graduates earn more than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $37,414 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,880 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. One other Rhode Island program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,41489th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,82241% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,8802nd lowest of 5 Rhode Island programs

Debt-to-earnings64%Rhode Island median 71%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of Rhode Island	Rhode Island	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,414	$35,096	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,822	$53,575	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,880	$27,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	64%	71%	78%
Programs compared		5	875

Five years out, University of Rhode Island graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Rhode Island median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island psychology program

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

University of Rhode IslandOther Rhode Island 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 41% between the first and fifth year.

University of Rhode Island grads, year 1$37,414

University of Rhode Island grads, year 5$52,822

All Rhode Island psychology grads, year 5$53,575

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$37,185Median debt $24,458

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$37,840Median debt $22,865

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $253 a month, or 8.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (243 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5–9%
Paying down the balance	25–29%
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, 114 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $28,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

62% of graduates (156 of 253) were working in Rhode Island one year after graduating. Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $37,414 salary here buys what about $36,762 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

$107,490

Median pay in Rhode Island. 420 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $54,500Top 10%: $144,700

Social Science Research Assistants

$51,420

Median pay in Rhode Island. 220 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $41,990Top 10%: $99,720

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 Rhode Island

In-state tuition and fees	$16,942 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$37,146 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,440 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	13,381

Psychology ranks 29th of 49 bachelor's programs at University of Rhode Island by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($82,218), Electrical Engineering ($81,508), and Computer Engineering ($80,029).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Kingston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public		$37,414	$23,880
Salve Regina UniversityNewport, RI · private nonprofit	12 mi	$35,096	$27,000
Roger Williams UniversityBristol, RI · private nonprofit	18 mi	$32,289	$27,000
Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI · public	25 mi	$33,694	$22,723
Providence CollegeProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	25 mi	$37,863	$27,000
UMass DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA · public	29 mi	$36,382	$27,000
Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	31 mi	$40,141	$24,197
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)Norton, MA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$34,746	$27,000
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	39 mi	$29,403	$25,779

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,414 one year after graduating and $52,822 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $35,096.

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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of Rhode Island programs, ranked49 programs by pay and debt