Research and Experimental Psychology at Saint Edward's University

A psychology bachelor's degree with estimated debt of $24,375 and first-year earnings around $35,000 creates a challenging financial picture, though not an impossible one. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 suggests graduates would need to dedicate roughly 70% of their first-year income to wipe out loans immediately—or more realistically, face monthly payments that consume a meaningful chunk of their budget. When similar programs nationally carry a median debt of $21,500, the estimated burden here runs about $3,000 higher, which compounds over years of repayment.

What complicates the evaluation is that these figures draw from peer institutions rather than Saint Edward's own graduates, so your child's actual outcome could differ. Texas programs in this field typically produce first-year earnings around $36,000, marginally better than the national estimate used here, but the difference won't fundamentally alter the financial equation. Psychology bachelor's degrees rarely lead directly to high-paying careers without graduate education, and that reality holds regardless of which school issues the diploma.

The practical question: Can your family absorb this debt load while your child either works in entry-level positions or pursues the graduate credentials that make psychology financially viable? Saint Edward's serves a substantial population of Pell-eligible students (39%), suggesting many families face exactly this trade-off. If graduate school is the plan, minimizing undergraduate debt becomes critical—and $24,375 may already be too much to carry into a master's or doctoral program.