Psychology at York College of Pennsylvania

York College's psychology program delivers surprisingly strong early earnings given the school's open admission profile. At $37,203, graduates earn about 18% more than the typical psychology major nationally and land in the 91st percentile—well above the national 75th percentile benchmark. Within Pennsylvania, performance is more middling (60th percentile), but that's largely because the state has several elite programs like Bucknell and Gettysburg skewing the comparison. Against schools with similar selectivity, York punches well above its weight.

The $27,000 debt load sits exactly at Pennsylvania's median and below the 25th percentile nationally, meaning three-quarters of psychology programs leave students with more debt. Combined with the strong earnings, you're looking at a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73—manageable by any reasonable standard. For context, many psychology programs struggle with ratios above 1.0, where debt exceeds the entire first year's salary.

The real story here is accessibility meeting results. York admits 94% of applicants yet produces psychology graduates who out-earn peers at far more selective institutions. For families prioritizing practical outcomes over brand prestige, this represents solid value—particularly if your student can graduate with debt at or below the median. The earnings trajectory matters less when you're already starting ahead of 90% of psychology programs nationwide.