How much debt do Western New Mexico University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 psychology bachelor's programs in New Mexico. That works out to about $292 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Western New Mexico University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 87% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other New Mexico programs before deciding.

Western New Mexico University Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Silver City, NM
About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western New Mexico University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,591 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,500 in federal loans, more than at 87% of psychology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying psychology degrees in New Mexico.

First-year earnings$31,59151st percentile of 875 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,5005th lowest of 5 New Mexico programs

Debt-to-earnings87%New Mexico median 68%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Western New Mexico University	New Mexico	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,591	$27,483	$31,479
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,500	$20,050	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	87%	68%	78%
Programs compared		5	875

Debt and first-year pay at every New Mexico psychology program

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

Western New Mexico UniversityOther New Mexico programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $292 a month, or 11.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of New Mexico outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $31,591 salary here buys what about $36,777 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

$124,800

Median pay in New Mexico. 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%: $54,080Top 10%: $169,520

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,640

Median pay in New Mexico. 50 people work in this job in New Mexico. 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%: $40,250Top 10%: $102,950

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 New Mexico University

In-state tuition and fees	$7,856 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$14,342 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,522 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	32%
Undergraduate students	2,026

Psychology ranks 5th of 5 bachelor's programs at Western New Mexico University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,666), Social Work ($42,250), and Rehabilitation and Therapy ($34,345).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,591 one year after graduating. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in New Mexico is $27,483.

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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Western New Mexico University programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt