Psychology at Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education

Northwest's online psychology program shows a concerning lag at the start—$30,547 in first-year earnings sits $3,000 below Washington's state median and ranks only in the 40th percentile among the state's 18 psychology programs. That's particularly notable when you're paying close to the national average debt ($25,000) but earning less than what graduates at Central Washington or WSU make right out of the gate. The state's strongest programs—Seattle Pacific, Seattle University—start graduates roughly $10,000 higher.

The silver lining is the 37% earnings jump to $41,799 by year four, which represents solid growth. However, even with that improvement, this program still trails most major Washington universities in early career outcomes. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 isn't catastrophic, but when you're starting behind your state peers, every dollar of debt matters more.

For families considering this program, understand that you're likely trading lower initial earnings for the flexibility of an online format. If your child needs that flexibility and is willing to work through lower starting pay, the trajectory improves. But if they can attend one of Washington's traditional campus programs—particularly the public universities—they'll almost certainly start with a stronger financial position and similar or better debt loads.