Psychology at Chestnut Hill College

Chestnut Hill's psychology program punches above its weight in a crowded Pennsylvania market. Starting at $33,918—above both state and national medians—graduates see their earnings jump 27% to $43,078 by year four, outpacing the typical psychology graduate's trajectory. Among Pennsylvania's 83 psychology programs, this ranks solidly in the 60th percentile, a respectable showing for a school with a 79% admission rate that serves a substantial Pell-eligible population.

The debt picture reinforces the value proposition. At $27,166, graduates carry roughly the same burden as the state median, but the 0.80 debt-to-earnings ratio means they're earning enough in their first year to keep those payments manageable. That ratio improves significantly as earnings climb toward $43,000, giving graduates real breathing room by mid-career. While this program won't match the elite outcomes at Bucknell ($51,645) or Gettysburg ($50,040), those schools serve different markets with different price tags.

For families weighing options in the Philadelphia area, this represents a practical path into psychology: reasonable debt, better-than-average starting salaries, and meaningful earnings growth that suggests graduates are finding stable career footing. The moderate sample size means outcomes are fairly consistent, not driven by a few outliers.