Bachelor's · Los Angeles, California
Is Psychology, General at University of Southern California worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6.3 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $50,455
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $75,684
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $15,215
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $140k (likely $140k – $181k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $36k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 6.3 years (likely 5.5–7.8)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$16k (likely −$105k – $55k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $416k (likely $256k – $589k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 90%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 10%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Psychology, General at other schools
🍎 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward teaching & helping people majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Psychology
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Statistics
IB Higher Level
- Psychology HL
- Language A HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of Southern California
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Doctoral)$226,049
- Law (First professional)$203,028
- Finance and Financial Management Services (Graduate certificate)$199,110
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$192,897
- Computer Science (Master's)$188,871
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Graduate certificate)$187,852
- Real Estate Development (Master's)$185,174
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$181,250
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$180,468
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral)$179,146
- Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's)$179,055
- Systems Engineering (Master's)$178,619
Psychology, General at other schools in California
- Santa Clara University$75,742
- University of San Diego$74,178
- Saint Mary's College of California$70,123
- National University$66,849
- University of San Francisco$65,071
- Azusa Pacific University$63,963
- Notre Dame de Namur University$63,847
- Chapman University$63,617
- University of California-Berkeley$62,835
- Pepperdine University$61,353