Psychology at St. Francis College

St. Francis College's psychology program shows troubling first-year outcomes that improve substantially over time, but the small sample size here demands serious caution before drawing conclusions. That initial $24,455 salary ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally—nearly $7,000 below the national median—and even within New York's competitive market, it lands at only the 25th percentile. While earnings jump 52% by year four to $37,273, that growth may reflect survivorship bias in such a small data set rather than predictable career progression.

The $25,000 debt load equals the state median and sits slightly below the national average, which initially seems manageable. However, when first-year earnings are that low, even typical debt becomes problematic—the 1.02 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates start underwater, owing more than they earn. Compare this to top-performing New York psychology programs like CUNY Graduate School ($48,299) or CUNY Medgar Evers ($39,868), where graduates earn 60-97% more right out of college.

The limited sample size is the critical asterisk here. With fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these numbers could swing dramatically with just a few different outcomes. For a program serving many Pell recipients (47% of students), the financial risk is real: that first-year salary makes loan repayment genuinely difficult. Unless your child has specific connections to St. Francis's Brooklyn network or substantial financial cushioning, the more established CUNY psychology programs offer clearer value.