How much debt do University of West Georgia psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 28 psychology bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from University of West Georgia worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 104% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of West Georgia psychology graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 85% (164 of 193) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Carrollton, GA
About 169 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of West Georgia psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $25,058 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,0588th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$44,77579% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,0007th lowest of 28 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings104%Georgia median 97%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	University of West Georgia	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,058	$27,983	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$44,775	$45,049	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$27,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	104%	97%	78%
Programs compared		28	875

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

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia psychology program

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

University of West GeorgiaOther Georgia 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 79% between the first and fifth year.

University of West Georgia grads, year 1$25,058

University of West Georgia grads, year 5$44,775

All Georgia psychology grads, year 5$45,049

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $27,750 against $25,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$25,320Median debt $27,750

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$24,652Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 13.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (229 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	10–14%
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–34%
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, 117 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $14,250.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (164 of 193) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta 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

$96,060

Median pay in Georgia. 1,120 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $45,310Top 10%: $179,850

Social Science Research Assistants

$66,620

Median pay in Georgia. 1,840 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $40,650Top 10%: $136,810

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 West Georgia

In-state tuition and fees	$6,088 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,800 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,786 / year
Admission rate	52%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	7,520

Psychology ranks 23rd of 25 bachelor's programs at University of West Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,140), Computer and Information Science ($69,653), and Accounting ($53,940).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Carrollton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public		$25,058	$26,000
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$31,474	$26,000
Clark Atlanta UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$22,328	$27,000
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$29,343	$26,000
Life UniversityMarietta, GA · private nonprofit	42 mi	$34,260	$31,000
Jacksonville StateJacksonville, AL · public	42 mi	$23,135	$26,750
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	43 mi	$28,904	$27,000
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	44 mi	$31,450	$26,869
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$32,085	$20,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,058 one year after graduating and $44,775 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Georgia is $27,983.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All University of West Georgia programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt