Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark of all students with the same graduate degree, adjusting for the in-state / out-of-state composition of the student body.
Schools are assigned a value from 1-100, where 100 is best for students from households earning up to $30,000. This value is multiplied by the percentage of the school’s student body that received a Pell Grant, to calculate the economic mobility score. A higher score is better. Read the full explanation
The percentage of a school’s student body that has received a Pell Grant.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
The total debt accrued by the median student at the time of graduation.
The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing student debt upon graduation by the annual salary. A debt to earnings ratio of 1 means that annual educational debt is the same as annual earnings.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
The Best Applied Psychology Programs for Bachelor’s Students – 2024
Applied psych students learn how to use the principles and methods of psychology to solve day-to-day problems in various contexts. Most programs have a highly practical focus. If you don’t want to go to grad school, a bachelor’s in applied psychology can unlock entry-level positions at human services agencies or a job in HR, for example.
Below, we list the best applied psychology bachelor’s programs – ranked by value for money.
Is a bachelor's in applied psychology worth it?
Studying psychology can lead to a highly rewarding career. However, economically speaking, it’s a pretty bad investment at the bachelor’s level. Someone with a bachelor’s in clinical, counseling, or applied psych earns $13,322 less per year than the national average for all bachelor's holders.
Just 4 years after earning their degree, the average bachelor’s student in clinical, counseling, or applied psychology earns $44,218 per year.
Note that if you choose to pursue a doctorate, you could enjoy much higher earnings, with fully licensed clinical psychologists earning $80,000 – $90,000 a year according to the BLS.
Unsure if you really want to pursue a bachelor’s in applied psychology? Use our tool below to compare several degrees based on outcomes like future earnings. Find out which are worth it, and which just aren’t.
Click on a degree card to reveal more information.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
-$13,094
PAYBACK
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
10.6
ECONOMIC SCORE
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
We rank degrees by value for money, i.e., return on investment (ROI). This rewards colleges that are the “best deal,” offering higher salaries after you leave school for relatively low costs up front. You can read more on our methodology page.
This ranking includes 10 accredited applied psychology bachelor’s programs at 4-year universities in the U.S. We only include schools that disclose sufficient earnings and/or cost data to the National Center for Education Statistics. Community colleges, fully online schools, and non-accredited institutions were excluded.
To be included on this list, programs must be registered as #[Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology - 42.28]# in the Department of Education’s CIP code classification system. These programs may be referred to by slightly different names by the universities themselves. You can explore how the Department of Education categorizes psychology degrees on the NCES website.
While school-level data on this page is for applied psychology degrees, aggregated data about how much applied psychology bachelor’s grads earn is for the more general CIP Code Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (42.28).
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$8,973
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$49,661
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate62%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$37,975
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$71,212
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate65%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$30,759
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$57,765
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate63%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$39,090
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$58,439
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate92%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$15,974
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$44,697
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate65%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$30,426
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$49,729
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate71%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$14,559
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$40,641
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate51%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$12,817
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$41,565
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate69%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$32,455
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$44,447
Median earnings of all students 4 years after graduating.
Graduation rate66%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Explore more schools without data
Applied psychology bachelor’s programs in your state
State
Average salary
Arizona
$60,200
Massachusetts
$50,693
New York
$49,677
Washington
$47,260
Michigan
$46,667
Best jobs if you have a bachelor's in applied psychology
Because they are convenient and affordable, online degrees are getting more and more popular.
On average, 4 years after graduating, people with an online bachelor’s in clinical, counseling, or applied psychology earn $38,844 yearly, which is 14% less than the average for all clinical/counseling/applied psych bachelor’s holders. Data comes from NCES and covers both fully online and hybrid programs.
Average salary with a bachelor's in applied psychology
The average salary of people with a bachelor's in clinical, counseling, or applied psychology, 4 years after graduating college, is $44,048. Data comes from NCES.
The table below shows how much people earn on average with a degree in counseling/clinical/applied psychology at various levels. Note that associate-level data is for degrees merely labeled “psychology.”
Click on a degree card to reveal more information.
Filters
Psychology
