Psychology at Reed College

Reed's psychology program sits squarely in the middle of the pack—60th percentile in Oregon, 59th nationally—with recent graduates earning $32,634 initially. That's competitive for psychology but not enough to distinguish this highly selective liberal arts college from much less expensive alternatives. Pacific University and Oregon State graduates earn roughly $2,000-$2,300 more right out of college, and they're not charging Reed-level tuition to get there.

The debt figure of $22,844 looks reasonable at first glance, but remember this only captures federal loans. At a school where 88% of students come from families that don't qualify for Pell grants and the sticker price exceeds $80,000 annually, many families are either paying substantially out of pocket or taking private loans that don't appear in this data. The 18% earnings growth to $38,334 after four years is solid, but it doesn't fundamentally change the economic equation for a family stretching to afford Reed.

Here's the practical consideration: if your child is genuinely drawn to Reed's academic rigor and conference-style classes, understand you're paying a premium for the educational experience itself, not career earnings. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, but they suggest psychology graduates here earn roughly what they would at less expensive Oregon schools.