Psychology at Athens State University

Athens State's psychology graduates start earning $34,324—beating the state's median by $7,000 and placing this program ahead of 60% of Alabama's psychology programs, including larger schools like Alabama and UAB. That's genuinely impressive for a regional institution where 42% of students receive Pell grants. The debt burden of $27,000 is manageable, ranking better than 75% of programs nationally.

The warning sign here is the earnings trajectory. Four years out, median pay actually drops to $32,271—a 6% decline when most graduates expect steady increases. With a small sample size under 30 graduates, this could reflect a few outlier career paths rather than a systematic problem, but it's worth noting. The pattern suggests either graduates are taking lower-paying positions over time or some are leaving the workforce temporarily, perhaps for graduate school.

For parents concerned about immediate financial viability, the first-year numbers work: your child earns more than peers across Alabama while carrying reasonable debt. But the backward earnings movement raises questions about long-term career trajectory that a larger dataset might clarify. If your student is headed to graduate school anyway—common in psychology—this becomes less concerning since the bachelor's degree is just a stepping stone.