Psychology at Avila University

Avila's psychology bachelor's delivers surprisingly strong earnings—$36,957 in the first year places it in the 90th percentile nationally and ahead of programs at Rockhurst and Columbia College within Missouri. That's $5,500 above the national median for psychology graduates, a meaningful gap. The $31,000 debt load sits at just the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of programs leave students with more debt), creating an unusually favorable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. Most psychology programs struggle to break even on this metric.

The trajectory looks solid too, with earnings climbing 21% to nearly $45,000 by year four. Within Missouri's competitive psychology landscape, this ranks at the 60th percentile—respectable but not exceptional against in-state alternatives. For context, this serves a predominantly middle-class student body (49% receive Pell grants) and maintains accessible admissions.

The critical caveat: these numbers come from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes vary more than at larger programs. But if these results hold, you're looking at above-average earnings combined with below-average debt—a combination that's genuinely rare in psychology. For Missouri families weighing private versus public options, Avila appears to deliver competitive outcomes without the debt burden typical of smaller private colleges.