---
title: Is a Research and Experimental Psychology degree worth the debt?
cip: 4227
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Research and Experimental Psychology degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **73** colleges (73 of 73 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $30,912 ($30,024 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $19,500 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.66× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $28,555–$34,351 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $30,912 | $19,500 | 0.66× | 73 | 73/73 |
| Master's | $42,397 | $51,123 | 1.27× | 7 | 7/7 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Harvard University (MA) | $53,927 | — |
| Princeton University (NJ) | $45,198 | — |
| Hamilton College (NY) | $44,978 | $17,450 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York (NY) | $41,906 | $19,347 |
| Amherst College (MA) | $41,688 | $10,800 |
| Brandeis University (MA) | $40,643 | $26,787 |
| University of Chicago (IL) | $40,175 | $17,500 |
| Barnard College (NY) | $39,384 | $17,875 |
| Trinity Washington University (DC) | $37,867 | $37,011 |
| Brown University (RI) | $37,636 | $15,110 |
| University of Rochester (NY) | $36,115 | $21,000 |
| Wellesley College (MA) | $36,106 | $11,782 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $35,413 | $23,250 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs (MA) | $35,413 | $23,250 |
| Tufts University (MA) | $34,754 | $15,500 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/research-and-experimental-psychology.jsonld` · `/education/fields/research-and-experimental-psychology.json`