Lafayette College Psychology: earnings, debt & careers

Psychology graduates of Lafayette College earn a median $73,435 four years after graduating ($36,235 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $16,000. That is $23,467 above the U.S. median for Psychology graduates ($49,968 across 998 colleges), and ranks 5th of 85 Pennsylvania colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$73,435

U.S. median for this major: $49,968.

College Scorecard field of study; 24 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution

Earnings, 1 year after
$36,235

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$16,000

About 22% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,490.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$34,433 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $83,133. College Scorecard.

Lafayette College Psychology: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

Lafayette College graduates$73,435
Pennsylvania median (86 colleges)$49,543 (+$23,892)
U.S. median (998 colleges)$49,968 (+$23,467)

Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.

Psychology nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →

Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income

Uses Lafayette College's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$12,716$52,2631.4 years
$30–48k$7,445$30,599under 1 year
$48–75k$10,881$44,7211.2 years
$75–110k$12,581$51,7081.4 years
$110k+$52,608$216,2195.7 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (80% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Psychology graduates 4 years after graduating ($73,435) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $37,638 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.

Psychology at Pennsylvania colleges

Every Pennsylvania college we cover that reports Psychology graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Carnegie Mellon University$82,433—$31,94494%
2Lehigh University$74,939$21,160$36,93188%
3Gettysburg College$74,466$27,000$31,49083%
4Villanova University$73,684$21,500$43,75692%
5Lafayette College$73,435$16,000$34,43388%
6University of Pennsylvania$73,012—$28,69997%
7Misericordia University$72,572$25,000$37,48572%
8Bucknell University$66,206$27,000$40,76686%
9Saint Francis University$66,010$27,000$23,52674%
10Drexel University$63,287$30,000$38,50978%
11Haverford College$63,040—$25,31490%
12Widener University$61,205$27,000$25,75968%
13Muhlenberg College$60,778$26,312$28,90582%
14DeSales University$60,001$27,000$31,64372%
15Dickinson College$58,706$19,000$37,60780%
16Washington & Jefferson College$57,026$27,000$25,00270%
17Chatham University$56,980$21,853$29,95463%
18Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia$56,647$27,000$29,68979%
19Moravian University$55,931$27,000$30,67072%
20Arcadia University$55,517$27,000$29,46667%
21Thomas Jefferson University$55,371—$28,92869%
22Albright College$55,100$26,500$20,02451%
23University of Pittsburgh-Bradford$54,379$26,000$15,35048%
24University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg$54,379$26,000$17,94540%
25University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown$54,379$26,000$18,20256%
26University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$54,379$26,000$30,43486%
27University of Scranton$54,088$26,131$32,56880%
28York College of Pennsylvania$53,927$27,000$18,55664%
29Westminster College$52,339$26,000$19,85965%
30Alvernia University$52,044—$28,13856%
31Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania$51,607$26,000$23,72656%
32Ursinus College$51,443$27,000$30,53673%
33Holy Family University$51,374$27,000$13,14361%
34Saint Vincent College$50,904$27,000$23,51069%
35Gwynedd Mercy University$50,848$31,000$27,48357%
36Temple University$50,582$26,000$28,19875%
37King's College$50,244$27,000$23,09360%
38Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College$49,543$27,000$24,55844%
39Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington$49,543$27,000$18,30528%
40Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-Barre$49,543$27,000$16,44823%
41Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton$49,543$27,000$17,91039%
42Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley$49,543$27,000$18,22018%
43Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona$49,543$27,000$22,21317%
44Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver$49,543$27,000$17,41822%
45Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks$49,543$27,000$24,35632%
46Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg$49,543$27,000$23,33026%
47Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine$49,543$27,000$22,58526%
48Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBoisbachelor's & associate$49,543$27,000$17,42834%
49Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly$49,543$27,000$14,59639%
50Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Hazleton$49,543$27,000$17,59726%
51Pennsylvania State University$49,543$27,000$32,87586%
52Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny$49,543$27,000$15,52119%
53Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto$49,543$27,000$19,45434%
54Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill$49,543$27,000$19,65932%
55Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York$49,543$27,000$19,04716%
56Millersville University of Pennsylvania$49,374$25,000$20,78758%
57La Salle University$49,216$27,000$19,40957%
58Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania$49,137$27,000$15,69954%
59Lycoming College$49,081$27,000$19,14060%
60Allegheny College$48,890$27,000$22,94073%
61Duquesne University$48,850$26,294$37,73077%
62Waynesburg University$48,163$27,000$18,23566%
63Wilkes University$48,033$26,000$27,74363%
64Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania$47,654$26,960$19,60866%
65Chestnut Hill College$47,591$27,166$27,97049%
66Eastern University$47,539$26,000$26,66254%
67Susquehanna University$47,367$27,000$28,81982%
68Elizabethtown College$47,359$27,000$26,59876%
69East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania$46,912$27,000$18,13443%
70Kutztown University of Pennsylvania$46,253$27,000$21,33154%
71Robert Morris University$46,025$27,000$23,00366%
72Messiah University$45,982$27,000$26,50275%
73Pennsylvania Western University$45,903$26,500$18,25652%
74Indiana University of Pennsylvania$45,420$27,000$16,80456%
75Marywood University$45,088$27,000$23,38872%
76Geneva College$44,857$24,125$25,89061%
77Carlow University$44,786$29,552$20,78660%
78La Roche University$44,709$27,000$20,79457%
79Mercyhurst University$43,694$26,000$19,44460%
80Thiel College$43,457$27,000$22,34749%
81Seton Hill University$43,426$27,000$22,20467%
82Lebanon Valley College$42,874$27,000$26,97965%
83Neumann University$40,632$35,000$27,80454%
84University of Valley Forge$40,155$27,903$32,26549%
85Cairn University-Langhorne$36,295—$27,64260%

18 more Pennsylvania colleges offer Psychology but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Psychology graduates

Social Science Research Assistants

Pennsylvania$54,610
U.S.$61,990

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at Lafayette College, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About Lafayette College

Related majors at Lafayette College

  • Psychology (Research)—

Lafayette College Psychology questions

How much do Lafayette College Psychology graduates earn?

Psychology graduates of Lafayette College earn a median $73,435 four years after graduating and $36,235 one year after. The U.S. median for Psychology graduates across 998 colleges is $49,968.

How much debt do Lafayette College Psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Psychology graduates of Lafayette College is $16,000, about 22% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,490.

Is Lafayette College a good school for Psychology in Pennsylvania?

On pay, Psychology graduates of Lafayette College earn $73,435 four years out, $23,892 above the median for the same major across 86 Pennsylvania colleges ($49,543) and $23,467 above the U.S. median ($49,968). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does Lafayette College rank for Psychology in Pennsylvania?

Of 85 Pennsylvania colleges reporting Psychology graduate earnings, Lafayette College ranks 5th. The highest is Carnegie Mellon University at $82,433.

What jobs do Psychology graduates get?

A common career is social science research assistants, with a median wage of $54,610 in Pennsylvania and $61,990 nationally.

Is Lafayette College the right fit for your family?

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “Lafayette College Psychology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lafayette-college/majors/psychology (College Scorecard and BLS data).