Psychology at Hendrix College

Hendrix College's psychology program starts graduates at roughly $23,000—landing in just the 5th percentile nationally and trailing every major Arkansas competitor by significant margins. Even within Arkansas, where psychology earnings tend to run below the national average, this program ranks in only the 25th percentile. For context, graduates from University of Arkansas at Little Rock earn $32,500 initially, about 40% more.

The earnings trajectory does show improvement, climbing to nearly $32,000 by year four (a respectable 38% increase). However, that still means graduates are spending their crucial early career years earning well below the poverty line threshold for a family of three. The $27,000 debt load is actually moderate compared to peers, but becomes problematic when paired with such constrained starting earnings—you're looking at more than a full year's salary in debt.

For families investing in a selective liberal arts education (average SAT of 1336), these outcomes deserve scrutiny. If graduate school is the plan and family resources can support the intervening years, Hendrix's academic environment may justify the initial sacrifice. But for students needing to support themselves immediately after graduation, the combination of bottom-tier starting pay and below-average Arkansas earnings makes this a financially risky path—particularly when nearby alternatives deliver substantially stronger launch points.