Psychology at South University-Montgomery

South University-Montgomery's psychology program carries one of the highest debt loads you'll find—graduates typically owe $54,702, more than double both the national and Alabama averages for this degree. That debt burden creates a challenging start: first-year earnings of $28,684 translate to a debt-to-income ratio nearly 2:1, meaning graduates owe twice their annual salary. While these earnings actually sit above Alabama's median for psychology programs (60th percentile in-state), they trail the national average by about $3,000, placing them in just the 27th percentile nationally.

The silver lining is meaningful earnings growth—incomes jump 29% to $36,910 by year four, which helps narrow the gap. However, even after this gain, graduates are still earning less than what peers at Athens State or Troy University make right out of the gate. Given that 70% of students here receive Pell grants, this program serves a population that can least afford to take on outsized debt for below-national-average outcomes.

For families considering this program, the math is straightforward but difficult: you're looking at significantly more debt than comparable Alabama programs while starting at lower earnings than most alternative paths to a psychology degree would provide.