Psychology at Evangel University

Evangel's psychology program starts graduates at $25,512—roughly $7,000 below Missouri's median for psychology majors and in just the 5th percentile nationally. While earnings do climb 47% to $37,604 by year four, that initial year is concerning for a family taking on $25,500 in debt. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.00 means your child would owe nearly their entire first year's salary, making those initial years financially precarious. Compare this to top Missouri programs like Avila or Rockhurst, where graduates start around $36,000—that's an extra $10,000 in year-one income.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift considerably with more data, so they're not as reliable as figures from larger programs. Still, the pattern is worth noting: even among Missouri psychology programs, which tend to lag national averages, Evangel ranks at just the 25th percentile in-state.

If your child is set on psychology and Evangel for other reasons—faith-based education, campus fit, scholarship offers—understand you're likely trading short-term earning potential for those priorities. The debt load is manageable relative to initial earnings compared to some programs, but the absolute dollars are low enough that loan payments could strain a young graduate's budget significantly.