# Best colleges for psychology

> Psychology bachelor's programs ranked by value: what graduates earn, what they borrow, and what a year costs after grants. U.S. College Scorecard field-of-study data, data year 2025.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/psychology
- Data (CSV, every ranked college): https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/psychology.csv
- Snapshot updated: November 4, 2026
- Colleges ranked: 814 of 1,366 with a qualifying program

## Key findings

1. 814 colleges qualify. At the median one, psychology graduates earn $51,007 4 years after graduating, and the average net price is $18,874 a year.
2. Georgia Institute of Technology ranks first with a value score of 95.1: graduates earn $83,012 and the average net price is $12,028.
3. The highest earnings are at Dartmouth College ($99,344), which ranks #35 once cost, debt and graduation rate are counted.
4. Public colleges hold 16 of the top 25 places.

## Top 50

Earnings are median annual earnings 4 years after the bachelor's degree; debt is median federal loan debt; net price and graduation rate are college-wide.

| Rank | College | State | Control | Earnings | Debt | Net price | Grad rate | Graduates | Value score |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | Public | $83,012 | $14,500 | $12,028 | 94% | 39 | 95.1 |
| 2 | Princeton University | NJ | Private nonprofit | $63,216 | — | $7,815 | 97% | 38 | 94.6 |
| 3 | Yale University | CT | Private nonprofit | $65,752 | $9,250 | $11,340 | 96% | 68 | 94.4 |
| 4 | Washington University in St Louis | MO | Private nonprofit | $75,261 | $17,897 | $13,360 | 93% | 182 | 92.7 |
| 5 | Vanderbilt University | TN | Private nonprofit | $71,584 | $11,250 | $15,497 | 93% | 98 | 90.2 |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | Public | $64,904 | $11,032 | $14,538 | 94% | 359 | 90.2 |
| 7 | University of Florida | FL | Public | $57,053 | $12,444 | $5,969 | 92% | 592 | 90.1 |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | Public | $67,537 | $18,005 | $14,362 | 93% | 712 | 89.7 |
| 9 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | NY | Public | $58,476 | $12,367 | $657 | 70% | 149 | 89.0 |
| 10 | Brigham Young University-Provo | UT | Private nonprofit | $62,106 | $10,500 | $13,397 | 81% | 48 | 88.9 |
| 11 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | Public | $61,050 | $11,969 | $14,659 | 93% | 721 | 87.7 |
| 12 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | IL | Public | $60,168 | $15,957 | $13,042 | 86% | 637 | 87.3 |
| 13 | University of Georgia | GA | Public | $59,446 | $15,000 | $13,636 | 89% | 614 | 87.0 |
| 14 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | Public | $66,171 | $10,373 | $16,807 | 84% | 666 | 86.8 |
| 15 | CUNY Hunter College | NY | Public | $59,149 | $8,566 | $1,051 | 59% | 614 | 86.6 |
| 16 | University of Chicago | IL | Private nonprofit | $73,483 | — | $16,776 | 95% | 103 | 86.4 |
| 17 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | Private nonprofit | $86,946 | $31,181 | $15,370 | 95% | 153 | 85.7 |
| 18 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | Public | $75,059 | $21,700 | $15,585 | 72% | 43 | 85.4 |
| 19 | University of Washington-Seattle | WA | Public | $57,718 | $13,000 | $13,663 | 85% | 533 | 85.1 |
| 20 | Florida State University | FL | Public | $54,728 | $11,502 | $8,605 | 86% | 842 | 84.9 |
| 21 | Amherst College | MA | Private nonprofit | $69,204 | $11,500 | $19,536 | 93% | 52 | 84.8 |
| 22 | Grinnell College | IA | Private nonprofit | $57,752 | $6,453 | $15,203 | 86% | 41 | 84.3 |
| 23 | University of California-Davis | CA | Public | $57,378 | $11,500 | $14,318 | 86% | 966 | 84.3 |
| 24 | University of Virginia | VA | Public | $62,794 | $14,475 | $18,056 | 94% | 227 | 84.0 |
| 25 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | Public | $57,575 | $15,411 | $14,296 | 88% | 420 | 83.7 |
| 26 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | Public | $62,032 | $16,831 | $16,486 | 85% | 342 | 83.6 |
| 27 | Emory University | GA | Private nonprofit | $59,628 | $13,000 | $16,754 | 91% | 146 | 83.5 |
| 28 | Northeastern University | MA | Private nonprofit | $66,130 | $20,250 | $17,850 | 91% | 164 | 83.4 |
| 29 | George Mason University | VA | Public | $62,563 | $15,750 | $14,697 | 66% | 351 | 82.9 |
| 30 | Harvard University | MA | Private nonprofit | $70,167 | — | $19,148 | 97% | 77 | 82.6 |
| 31 | CUNY Queens College | NY | Public | $57,210 | $8,179 | $1,272 | 53% | 639 | 82.5 |
| 32 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | Public | $60,466 | $12,000 | $18,832 | 87% | 156 | 81.5 |
| 33 | Binghamton University | NY | Public | $67,249 | $17,250 | $20,907 | 82% | 367 | 80.8 |
| 34 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | Public | $58,901 | $19,000 | $16,600 | 90% | 548 | 80.4 |
| 35 | Dartmouth College | NH | Private nonprofit | $99,344 | $9,888 | $26,707 | 95% | 60 | 80.0 |
| 36 | William & Mary | VA | Public | $59,226 | $14,500 | $18,880 | 88% | 156 | 80.0 |
| 37 | Sonoma State University | CA | Public | $57,335 | $13,553 | $10,759 | 55% | 238 | 79.9 |
| 38 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | NY | Public | $55,595 | $11,000 | $1,110 | 54% | 479 | 79.9 |
| 39 | University of California-Irvine | CA | Public | $54,323 | $11,978 | $13,866 | 87% | 551 | 79.5 |
| 40 | CUNY City College | NY | Public | $56,223 | $10,187 | $1,557 | 50% | 406 | 79.4 |
| 41 | Farmingdale State College | NY | Public | $58,570 | $17,500 | $6,146 | 49% | 63 | 79.3 |
| 42 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | MN | Public | $58,449 | $17,462 | $17,330 | 85% | 559 | 79.3 |
| 43 | College of Staten Island | NY | Public | $59,741 | $14,795 | $3,153 | 36% | 259 | 79.2 |
| 44 | University of Delaware | DE | Public | $63,614 | $24,070 | $16,337 | 78% | 223 | 78.5 |
| 45 | Lehigh University | PA | Private nonprofit | $74,939 | $19,620 | $25,272 | 85% | 74 | 77.8 |
| 46 | University of Notre Dame-South Bend | IN | Private nonprofit | $69,793 | $19,000 | $25,339 | 95% | 96 | 77.7 |
| 47 | Georgetown University-DC | DC | Private nonprofit | $99,007 | $12,500 | $33,661 | 94% | 95 | 76.8 |
| 48 | Brown University | RI | Private nonprofit | $63,415 | $9,438 | $26,976 | 96% | 84 | 76.8 |
| 49 | Washington State University | WA | Public | $56,681 | $17,750 | $13,462 | 63% | 531 | 76.7 |
| 50 | Stony Brook University | NY | Public | $58,137 | $16,156 | $18,902 | 77% | 620 | 76.4 |

## Methodology

- **Programs counted.** Bachelor's degrees reported under CIP 42.01, 42.27, 42.28 at public and private nonprofit colleges published on CollegesRef. When a college reports more than one qualifying program, its largest one is used.
- **Eligibility.** A college needs at least 20 graduates in the latest award year, reported median earnings 4 years after graduation, and a published average net price and graduation rate. A field is published only when at least 50 colleges qualify.
- **Value score.** Each figure is turned into a 0–100 percentile among ranked colleges (100 is best: highest earnings or graduation rate, lowest net price or debt-to-earnings). The value score is the weighted average: graduate earnings 40%, average net price 25%, debt-to-earnings 20%, graduation rate 15%. If a college reports no debt figure, that weight is shared among the other three.
- **Earnings and debt.** Median annual earnings 4 years after completing the bachelor's degree, for graduates who received federal aid and were working. Debt is the median federal loan amount borrowed at the college by those graduates (College Scorecard field of study).
- **Cost and completion.** Average net price is what aided first-year students pay after grants, for the whole college rather than the major. Graduation rate is the college-wide share finishing within six years (150% of normal time).

## Limits

- **Value, not prestige.** The score rewards high earnings at a low cost. It does not measure research strength, faculty, selectivity or reputation, so famous programs can rank below less-known ones.
- **Earnings lag.** Earnings describe students who graduated several years ago and were measured years later. Today's job market and starting salaries can differ.
- **Suppressed small programs.** The Department of Education withholds figures for small groups of graduates to protect privacy, so many small programs cannot be ranked at all.
- **Federal aid recipients only.** Earnings and debt cover graduates who received federal grants or loans; students who paid without federal aid are not included.

## FAQ

### What is the best college for psychology?

On value, Georgia Institute of Technology ranks first in this ranking: psychology graduates earn a median of $83,012 4 years after graduating, and the average net price is $12,028 a year. "Best" depends on what you need; this ranking weighs earnings against cost, debt and graduation rate.

### What do psychology graduates go on to do?

Many psychology graduates go on to graduate school; those who start work right away enter human services, HR, research and marketing roles. The earnings here are medians for graduates who received federal aid, 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

### Why are some well-known psychology programs ranked low or missing?

The ranking measures value, not prestige. A college with high earnings but a high net price can rank below a cheaper college with slightly lower earnings. Programs are missing when federal data suppresses their earnings, when they have fewer graduates than the threshold, or when they are reported under a CIP code this ranking does not count.

### Can I see colleges in my state only?

Yes. Use the state filter above the list; ranks stay national so you can see where each college stands overall. You can also filter by public or private and by a maximum net price, or download the full CSV.

### Does the net price shown apply to psychology students?

No. Average net price is reported for the whole college, not by major. Your own price depends on your family's finances; each college's net price calculator gives a personal estimate.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study, cost and completion): https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- CollegesRef methodology: https://www.collegesref.com/methodology

## How to cite

CollegesRef, "Best colleges for psychology," value ranking from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data (data year 2025), updated November 4, 2026. https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/psychology

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Source: CollegesRef, https://www.collegesref.com/best-colleges/psychology.