How much debt do Western Oregon University psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,448, which ranks 5th lowest of 14 psychology bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $249 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Western Oregon University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Oregon programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Western Oregon University psychology graduates stay in Oregon?

Most do. 87% (109 of 125) were working in Oregon one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Public university
Monmouth, OR
About 131 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Oregon University psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $34,038 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,448 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Oregon programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,03870th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,36845% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,4485th lowest of 14 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Oregon median 76%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Western Oregon University	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,038	$32,422	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,368	$49,728	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,448	$24,523	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	76%	78%
Programs compared		14	875

Five years out, Western Oregon University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Oregon median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon psychology program

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

Western Oregon UniversityOther Oregon 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 45% between the first and fifth year.

Western Oregon University grads, year 1$34,038

Western Oregon University grads, year 5$49,368

All Oregon psychology grads, year 5$49,728

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 $24,334 against $21,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,502Median debt $24,334

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$28,255Median debt $21,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $249 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (99 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
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, 32 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,585.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (109 of 125) were working in Oregon one year after graduating. Prices in the Salem area are about 4% above the national average, so a $34,038 salary here buys what about $32,840 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

$134,350

Median pay in Oregon. 540 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $93,600Top 10%: $163,340

Social Science Research Assistants

$56,770

Median pay in Oregon. 220 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $48,150Top 10%: $85,110

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$174,980

Median pay in Oregon. 60 people work in this job in Oregon. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $92,450Top 10%: $174,980

About Western Oregon University

In-state tuition and fees	$11,879 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$32,534 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,237 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	47%
Undergraduate students	3,103

Psychology ranks 10th of 16 bachelor's programs at Western Oregon University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($51,703), Teacher Education ($44,845), and Education ($43,879).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Monmouth

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Western Oregon UniversityMonmouth, OR · public		$34,038	$23,448
Willamette UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	12 mi	$29,678	$24,547
Corban UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	14 mi	$32,244	$23,000
Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	20 mi	$34,736	$25,340
Linfield UniversityMcMinnville, OR · private nonprofit	24 mi	$34,628	$27,000
George Fox UniversityNewberg, OR · private nonprofit	34 mi	$32,599	$24,000
Pacific UniversityForest Grove, OR · private nonprofit	47 mi	$34,930	$27,000
Lewis & Clark CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit	50 mi	$26,790	$25,745
Reed CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit	53 mi	$32,634	$22,844

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,038 one year after graduating and $49,368 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Oregon is $32,422.

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 Oregon 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 Oregon, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Western Oregon University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt