Psychology at CUNY Graduate School and University Center

At $48,299 in first-year earnings, this psychology program beats the state median by more than $16,000—placing it in the 95th percentile among New York's 92 psychology programs. That's remarkable performance for a psychology bachelor's, a field that typically struggles to deliver strong earnings right out of college. The moderate debt of $19,462 is also well below both state and national averages, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio that most psychology graduates can only dream of. However, the sample size is moderate, so these outcomes represent 30-100 graduates rather than thousands.

The major red flag is the 14% earnings decline by year four, dropping to $41,272. This backward trajectory is unusual and worth investigating—it could reflect graduates leaving the workforce for graduate school (common in psychology) or transitioning to lower-paying but career-relevant positions. Still, even with this decline, fourth-year earnings exceed the typical first-year earnings for psychology graduates both nationally and in New York.

For parents worried about the notorious underemployment of psychology majors, this program delivers something different. Your child would start ahead of 95% of their peers nationwide and maintain that advantage even as earnings dip. The low debt means the downside risk is contained. Just understand that psychology careers often require graduate work for significant advancement, so factor that into your long-term planning.