Psychology at Concordia University-Irvine

The $17,772 first-year earnings here should immediately concern parents—this figure ranks in just the 10th percentile among California psychology programs and the bottom 5% nationally. With $25,000 in debt, new graduates face the prospect of loan payments that likely exceed what they can afford on near-poverty-level income. Even accounting for the 135% earnings jump to $41,825 by year four, this still trails the state median by nearly $11,000 and falls short of what graduates earn from comparable California programs like Santa Clara ($38,587) or even entirely online options like National University ($38,523).

The critical caveat: these numbers come from fewer than 30 graduates, so they might not accurately represent typical outcomes. However, parents should ask why, even with a favorable admission rate and relatively small graduating classes, outcomes lag so far behind both state and national benchmarks. The debt level itself isn't unusual for psychology degrees, but when paired with such low initial earnings, it creates a financial burden that could take years to overcome—even as earnings improve.

Unless your child has specific reasons to attend Concordia-Irvine (campus ministry, tight-knit community, particular faculty), the data suggests looking elsewhere in California's crowded psychology market, where dozens of programs deliver stronger financial outcomes with similar or lower debt levels.