How much debt do Wheaton College psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,625, which ranks 6th lowest of 35 psychology bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $240 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Wheaton College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Wheaton College Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Wheaton College psychology graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 52% (17 of 33) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit college
Wheaton, IL
About 56 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Wheaton College psychology graduates earn about what psychology graduates earn nationally, $31,658 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,625 in federal loans, less than at 76% of psychology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying psychology degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$31,65851st percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,63976% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,6256th lowest of 35 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Illinois median 77%, national 78%

How it compares

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

	Wheaton College	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,658	$32,104	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,639	$49,430	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,625	$25,647	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	77%	78%
Programs compared		35	875

Five years out, Wheaton College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,209 more than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois psychology program

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

Wheaton CollegeOther Illinois 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 76% between the first and fifth year.

Wheaton College grads, year 1$31,658

Wheaton College grads, year 5$55,639

All Illinois psychology grads, year 5$49,430

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $240 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (38 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

52% of graduates (17 of 33) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $31,658 salary here buys what about $30,559 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

$83,750

Median pay in Illinois. 5,810 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $36,580Top 10%: $168,730

Social Science Research Assistants

$64,890

Median pay in Illinois. 250 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $37,460Top 10%: $116,530

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 Wheaton College

Tuition and fees	$45,546 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,975 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	85%
Undergraduate students	2,121

Psychology ranks 12th of 15 bachelor's programs at Wheaton College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($81,470), Economics ($62,889), and Business Economics ($55,300).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Wheaton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Wheaton CollegeWheaton, IL · private nonprofit		$31,658	$22,625
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	6 mi	$32,314	$27,000
North Central CollegeNaperville, IL · private nonprofit	7 mi	$27,688	$26,655
Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	8 mi	$32,553	$23,000
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	14 mi	$30,846	$23,832
Concordia University-ChicagoRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$27,304	$25,647
Aurora UniversityAurora, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$31,484	$23,250
Judson UniversityElgin, IL · private nonprofit	16 mi	$34,964	$25,000
Lewis UniversityRomeoville, IL · private nonprofit	18 mi	$31,104	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,658 one year after graduating and $55,639 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Illinois is $32,104.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked35 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Wheaton College programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt