🇺🇸 Best Psychology Programs in United States by ROI
Ranked by ROI score — net salary after rent and living costs, weighted by graduation rate, relative to total degree tuition. Salary figures are median graduate earnings from government data (2026).
| # | University | ROI | Salary ($) | Payback | Tuition ($/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Research and Experimental Psychology. | 23.6 | $48,810 | 4 yrs | $33,925 |
| 2 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Psychology, Other. | 21.7 | $47,605 | 4 yrs | $36,786 |
| 3 | University of Chicago Research and Experimental Psychology. | 19.6 | $48,810 | 5 yrs | $41,608 |
| 4 | Rice University Psychology, General. | 19.2 | $46,590 | 5 yrs | $37,436 |
| 5 | University of Chicago Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 18.6 | $47,142 | 5 yrs | $41,608 |
| 6 | University of Georgia Psychology, General. | 18.3 | $46,590 | 5 yrs | $39,021 |
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Research and Experimental Psychology. | 18.1 | $48,810 | 5 yrs | $40,194 |
| 8 | Purdue University-Main Campus Research and Experimental Psychology. | 18.1 | $48,810 | 5 yrs | $40,880 |
| 9 | Vanderbilt University Psychology, General. | 17.4 | $46,590 | 5 yrs | $44,369 |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 17.2 | $47,142 | 5 yrs | $40,194 |
| 11 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Psychology, General. | 16.9 | $46,590 | 5 yrs | $40,194 |
| 12 | Andrews University Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 16.6 | $47,142 | 4 yrs | $35,132 |
| 13 | University of Mississippi Psychology, General. | 16.5 | $46,590 | 4 yrs | $37,279 |
| 14 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Research and Experimental Psychology. | 15.9 | $48,810 | 5 yrs | $46,978 |
| 15 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Research and Experimental Psychology. | 15.9 | $48,810 | 6 yrs | $48,549 |
| 16 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Research and Experimental Psychology. | 15.6 | $37,943 | 6 yrs | $36,786 |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 15.6 | $47,142 | 6 yrs | $48,591 |
| 18 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Research and Experimental Psychology. | 14.8 | $48,810 | 6 yrs | $39,455 |
| 19 | University of California-San Diego Research and Experimental Psychology. | 14.2 | $48,810 | 6 yrs | $34,916 |
| 20 | University of California-Berkeley Research and Experimental Psychology. | 14.0 | $48,810 | 7 yrs | $37,747 |
| 21 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 13.9 | $47,142 | 6 yrs | $39,455 |
| 22 | University of California-San Diego Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | 13.2 | $47,142 | 7 yrs | $34,916 |
| 23 | University of California-San Diego Psychology, General. | 12.8 | $46,590 | 7 yrs | $34,916 |
| 24 | University of California-Berkeley Psychology, General. | 12.7 | $46,590 | 7 yrs | $37,747 |
| 25 | Stanford University Psychology, General. | 12.3 | $46,590 | 7 yrs | $38,660 |