Psychology at Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern Louisiana's psychology program starts graduates at a worryingly low $20,870—a figure that places it in just the 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile among Louisiana schools. That first-year salary sits roughly $7,000 below the Louisiana median for psychology graduates and nearly $11,000 below the national benchmark. With $24,784 in debt, new graduates face more than a year's salary in loans, creating immediate financial strain that even two bachelor's psychology programs typically struggle to justify.

The program does show impressive 54% earnings growth by year four, reaching $32,136, which surpasses both state and national medians. This recovery pattern suggests graduates eventually find their footing, but that initial earnings gap represents real sacrifice—years of constrained budgets and delayed financial milestones that compound over time. Other Louisiana schools like Dillard and Northwestern State start their psychology graduates $11,000-12,000 higher, eliminating much of that difficult first-year period entirely.

For families comfortable with a challenging financial start in exchange for eventual competitive earnings, this path is navigable. But recognize you're accepting significant early-career hardship that peer institutions in Louisiana avoid, and psychology salaries—even at the program's strong year-four level—require careful financial planning regardless of where you earn the degree.