Psychology at The Chicago School at Chicago

This Chicago School program reports first-year earnings that beat 95% of psychology programs nationally—an impressive figure that demands scrutiny given the small sample size of fewer than 30 graduates. The $39,596 median sits well above the national benchmark of $31,482, yet within Illinois it ranks only at the 60th percentile, trailing Northwestern and St. Augustine College by several thousand dollars. More concerning: graduates carry $40,645 in debt, nearly 60% more than both state and national medians for psychology degrees.

That debt load creates an immediate financial squeeze. With a debt-to-earnings ratio above 1.0, graduates face loan payments that will consume a significant portion of their take-home pay—particularly challenging for a psychology bachelor's degree, which typically requires graduate education for higher-paying clinical roles. The school serves a substantial population of Pell Grant recipients (47%), students who often have less family financial cushion to help manage this debt burden during the lower-earning early career years common in psychology.

The math here is straightforward: you're looking at $15,000 more debt than the typical Illinois psychology graduate for earnings that, while solid, aren't exceptional within the state. Given the small cohort size and the reality that most psychology careers require additional education, this represents a risky starting point unless your child has specific reasons to choose this institution over more affordable state options.