How much debt do Western Connecticut State psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,622, which ranks 6th lowest of 16 psychology bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $261 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Western Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 77% 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 Connecticut programs report higher pay.

Western Connecticut State Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Western Connecticut State psychology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 79% (49 of 62) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Danbury, CT
About 68 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Connecticut State psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $32,064 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,622 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$32,06454th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,89052% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,6226th lowest of 16 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Connecticut median 80%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Western Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,064	$33,273	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,890	$54,388	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,622	$26,000	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	80%	78%
Programs compared		16	875

Five years out, Western Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure but about $5,498 less than the Connecticut median. Several Connecticut programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut psychology program

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

Western Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

Western Connecticut State grads, year 1$32,064

Western Connecticut State grads, year 5$48,890

All Connecticut psychology grads, year 5$54,388

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 $25,250 against $20,375.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,697Median debt $25,250

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$28,195Median debt $20,375

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $261 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (109 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,725.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (49 of 62) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $32,064 salary here buys what about $30,004 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

$100,580

Median pay nationwide. 660 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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.

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,110

Median pay in Connecticut. 50 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $35,860Top 10%: $88,270

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 Western Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,401 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,901 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,604 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	3,511

Psychology ranks 13th of 19 bachelor's programs at Western Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($86,600), Computer and Information Science ($77,969), and Accounting ($58,144).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Danbury

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public		$32,064	$24,622
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	16 mi	$29,166	$26,000
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	19 mi	$39,890	$26,000
University of BridgeportBridgeport, CT · private nonprofit	21 mi	$33,392	$30,396
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	21 mi	$31,377	$45,713
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	26 mi	$29,108	$27,000
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public	26 mi	$35,716	$23,000
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	27 mi	$34,725	$35,937
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	28 mi	$27,838	$24,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,064 one year after graduating and $48,890 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $33,273.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked16 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Western Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt