Best Psychology Schools (2026): 36 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Psychology, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Psychology graduate earns $27,272/yr across 36 schools.
BLS projects 5.7% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 125 annual job openings per related program area.
All Psychology Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Merced College
Merced, CA · Psychology |
67
61–69 |
$34,441/yr | 133.3x |
| 2 |
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, MA · Psychology |
56
50–59 |
$37,256/yr | 41.8x |
| 3 |
Rockland Community College
Suffern, NY · Psychology |
54
50–56 |
$38,571/yr | 29.1x |
| 4 |
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Psychology |
58
51–61 |
$29,930/yr | 72.4x |
| 5 |
Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT · Psychology |
54
49–56 |
$32,619/yr | 42.2x |
| 6 |
University of Cincinnati-Clermont College
Batavia, OH · Psychology |
53
49–55 |
$38,019/yr | 28.0x |
| 7 |
University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College
Blue Ash, OH · Psychology |
53
48–55 |
$38,019/yr | 26.2x |
| 8 |
Fresno City College
Fresno, CA · Psychology |
61
54–64 |
$27,421/yr | 128.8x |
| 9 |
Sinclair Community College
Dayton, OH · Psychology |
52
48–54 |
$29,717/yr | 42.3x |
| 10 |
Bucks County Community College
Newtown, PA · Psychology |
52
46–54 |
$31,905/yr | 38.4x |
| 11 |
Tyler Junior College
Tyler, TX · Psychology |
52
45–55 |
$26,982/yr | 54.4x |
| 12 |
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA · Psychology |
59
53–61 |
$25,792/yr | 114.2x |
| 13 |
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA · Psychology |
61
53–63 |
$25,832/yr | 147.7x |
| 14 |
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, CA · Psychology |
62
54–64 |
$26,229/yr | 181.7x |
| 15 |
Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City, OK · Psychology |
51
45–53 |
$28,679/yr | 42.2x |
| 16 |
Navarro College
Corsicana, TX · Psychology |
54
45–57 |
$26,236/yr | 64.0x |
| 17 |
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA · Psychology |
61
53–63 |
$24,894/yr | 173.8x |
| 18 |
Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, NM · Psychology |
58
49–60 |
$25,675/yr | 93.2x |
| 19 |
Community College of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA · Psychology |
50
43–53 |
$28,034/yr | 41.9x |
| 20 |
Amarillo College
Amarillo, TX · Psychology |
54
47–56 |
$25,076/yr | 68.6x |
| 21 |
Lemoore College
Lemoore, CA · Psychology |
58
51–60 |
$24,719/yr | 110.9x |
| 22 |
College of the Sequoias
Visalia, CA · Psychology |
55
49–57 |
$23,008/yr | 81.5x |
| 23 |
Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, MO · Psychology |
49
45–51 |
$30,134/yr | 32.4x |
| 24 |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH · Psychology |
49
43–51 |
$38,019/yr | 13.0x |
| 25 |
College of Southern Nevada
Las Vegas, NV · Psychology |
48
39–51 |
$23,984/yr | 45.5x |
| 26 |
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY · Psychology |
46
37–48 |
$24,052/yr | 42.2x |
| 27 |
Mt San Antonio College
Walnut, CA · Psychology |
53
44–56 |
$16,894/yr | 111.5x |
| 28 |
Coalinga College
Coalinga, CA · Psychology |
47
43–49 |
$16,139/yr | 57.3x |
| 29 |
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN · Psychology |
45
40–47 |
$26,688/yr | 26.2x |
| 30 |
El Paso Community College
El Paso, TX · Psychology |
45
38–47 |
$20,644/yr | 41.2x |
| 31 |
Davidson College
Davidson, NC · Psychology |
43
36–45 |
$31,401/yr | 9.5x |
| 32 |
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA · Psychology |
41
35–43 |
$29,199/yr | 7.9x |
| 33 |
South Texas College
McAllen, TX · Psychology |
42
33–44 |
$19,552/yr | 30.8x |
| 34 |
Delaware County Community College
Media, PA · Psychology |
38
30–40 |
$17,269/yr | 25.2x |
| 35 |
Monroe Community College
Rochester, NY · Psychology |
38
32–40 |
$19,909/yr | 16.0x |
| 36 |
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY · Psychology |
38
32–40 |
$18,867/yr | 17.2x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 10 | $24,537/yr | 39 |
| Texas | 6 | $24,737/yr | 38 |
| Ohio | 4 | $35,944/yr | 41 |
| New York | 4 | $25,350/yr | 33 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | $25,736/yr | 36 |
| Virginia | 1 | $29,199/yr | 30 |
| Utah | 1 | $32,619/yr | 43 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $28,679/yr | 40 |
| Nevada | 1 | $23,984/yr | 37 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $25,675/yr | 39 |
| North Carolina | 1 | $31,401/yr | 32 |
| Missouri | 1 | $30,134/yr | 38 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $37,256/yr | 46 |
| Indiana | 1 | $26,688/yr | 34 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Psychology Schools ranks 36 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.