Psychology at Colby-Sawyer College

New Hampshire psychology programs cluster tightly around $38,000-$43,000 in first-year earnings, and Colby-Sawyer appears to land squarely in this range. With estimated debt of $27,000—right at the state median—graduates face a manageable 0.70 debt-to-earnings ratio. That's significantly better than the typical psychology bachelor's nationwide, where $25,500 in debt often supports only $31,500 in earnings. The four-year earnings figure of $43,012 suggests modest but steady early-career progression, though it's worth noting this remains below what many families expect from a four-year degree investment.

The challenge here isn't the debt load, which is reasonable by New Hampshire standards. It's that psychology bachelor's degrees—across the board—produce modest starting salaries that make even manageable debt feel substantial. Comparable programs at New England College and Rivier University show slightly higher first-year earnings ($42,656 and $40,242), suggesting some variation in outcomes even within the state. For a family considering Colby-Sawyer specifically, the question becomes whether the college's smaller environment (reflected in that suppressed data sample) offers advantages worth potentially landing in the middle of New Hampshire's psychology pack.

The practical reality: your child will likely earn enough to manage this debt, but won't have much cushion in those first few years. If graduate school is on the horizon—common for psychology majors seeking clinical or research roles—that $27,000 will compound with additional borrowing.