Behavioral Sciences at Brown University

At one of America's most selective universities, where admitted students average a 1546 SAT, a Behavioral Sciences degree leads to estimated first-year earnings around $35,400—based on what graduates from similar programs nationally typically earn. That's roughly what many state school graduates make, but Brown students are graduating with an estimated $26,900 in debt, slightly below the national median for this degree. The debt load itself is manageable at about 76% of first-year income, but the economic return doesn't obviously justify the credential's prestige.

The challenge here is that Behavioral Sciences programs across the country cluster tightly around these earnings figures, with even top performers nationally reaching only about $38,100 in their first year. This isn't a field where elite institutional pedigree translates into dramatically higher starting salaries. If your child is financing this degree primarily through loans rather than family resources, they're investing Brown-level selectivity (5% admission rate) into outcomes that comparable programs produce regardless of institutional ranking.

The estimation here matters because Brown's actual outcomes could differ—perhaps the Ivy network or alumni connections create advantages not captured in peer program data. But absent that evidence, families should recognize they're paying premium positioning for what appears to be standard-market returns in a field where starting salaries have a relatively low ceiling across all institutions.