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# Research and Experimental Psychology Programs by Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

Part of [Best Psychology Colleges in the United States](/rankings/best-psychology-colleges/)

This page ranks the 70 Research and Experimental Psychology programs in the United States by median earnings of Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. [Dartmouth College](/school/dartmouth-college/majors/) ranks 1st with median earnings of $99,344 for its graduates four years after completing.

Across the list, median earnings range from $99,344 to $21,508, with a median of $55,460. For 6 of the 70 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

The list includes 33 public and 37 private nonprofit institutions. Princeton University reports the lowest average net price at $6,128, while University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Northeastern State University has the highest admission rate, admitting 100% of applicants.

## The ranked list

Top 25 of 70 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $99,344 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
|  | [Dartmouth College](/school/dartmouth-college/majors/) reports [median earnings of $99,344](/school/dartmouth-college/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 71. |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $86,946 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
|  | A private nonprofit university in New York, [Columbia University in the City of New York](/school/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york/majors/) [admits 4% of applicants](/school/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york/admissions/) and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn a median of $86,946 four years after completing. |
| 3 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $83,012 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left [Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus](/school/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/majors/) with a [median of $21,672](/school/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/outcomes/) in federal loans, while its Research and Experimental Psychology completers earned a median of $83,012 four years after graduating. |
| 4 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $80,873 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
|  | [University of Connecticut](/school/university-of-connecticut/majors/) ranks 4th on this list and posts an [average net price of $25,097](/school/university-of-connecticut/cost/) alongside median earnings of $80,873 for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. |
| 5 | Tufts University · Medford, MA | $79,571 | $39,998 | $11,284 | 11.5% |
|  | [Tufts University](/school/tufts-university/majors/) has an [average net price of $11,284](/school/tufts-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000, and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn a median of $79,571 four years after completing. |
| 6 | Washington University in St Louis · St. Louis, MO | $75,261 | $21,786 | $1,716 | 12.1% |
|  | With a cohort of 189 graduates, [Washington University in St Louis](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/majors/) reports [median earnings of $75,261](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology program four years after completing. |
| 7 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $73,483 | $14,860 | \-$1,264\* | 4.5% |
|  | [University of Chicago](/school/university-of-chicago/majors/) [ranks 38th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-chicago/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $73,483 for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. |
| 8 | George Washington University · Washington, DC | $72,325 | $36,586 | $17,440 | 47.1% |
|  | [George Washington University](/school/george-washington-university/majors/) [admits 47% of applicants](/school/george-washington-university/admissions/), and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn a median of $72,325 four years after completing. |
| 9 | Harvard University · Cambridge, MA | $70,167 | $19,066 | $8,697 | 3.7% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left [Harvard University](/school/harvard-university/majors/) with a [median of $14,000](/school/harvard-university/outcomes/) in federal loans, and its Research and Experimental Psychology completers earn a median of $70,167 four years after graduating. |
| 10 | Amherst College · Amherst, MA | $69,204 | $23,367 | $1,086 | 9.0% |
|  | [Amherst College](/school/amherst-college/majors/) has an [average net price of $1,086](/school/amherst-college/cost/) for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $69,204 for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. |
| 11 | Brandeis University · Waltham, MA | $67,838 | $35,736 | $13,363 | 40.5% |
|  | [Brandeis University](/school/brandeis-university/majors/) reports a cohort of 114 Research and Experimental Psychology graduates, who earned a [median of $67,838](/school/brandeis-university/outcomes/) four years after completing. |
| 12 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $67,537 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
|  | [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor](/school/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/majors/) [ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $67,537 for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. |
| 13 | Florida Institute of Technology · Melbourne, FL | $66,923 | $35,639 | $29,108 | 57.7% |
|  | [Florida Institute of Technology](/school/florida-institute-of-technology/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Melbourne, reports [$66,923 in median earnings](/school/florida-institute-of-technology/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, with 17 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 14 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $66,171 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
|  | [University of California-Santa Barbara](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/majors/) ranks 14th on this list and posts an [average net price of $16,109,](/school/university-of-california-santa-barbara/cost/) alongside an admission rate of 33%. |
| 15 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $66,130 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
|  | [Northeastern University](/school/northeastern-university/majors/) [admits 5% of applicants](/school/northeastern-university/admissions/) and shows median federal debt of $23,250 among Research and Experimental Psychology completers who borrowed. |
| 16 | Yale University · New Haven, CT | $65,752 | $23,777 | $17,633 | 3.9% |
|  | [Yale University](/school/yale-university/majors/) reports [$65,752 in median earnings](/school/yale-university/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $12,975 in federal loans. |
| 17 | Barnard College · New York, NY | $65,644 | $28,800 | $11,600 | 8.8% |
|  | Barnard College posts an average net price of $11,600 for families earning under $30,000, and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earned a median of $65,644 four years after completing. |
| 18 | Vassar College · Poughkeepsie, NY | $65,095 | $39,343 | $15,953 | 18.6% |
|  | [Vassar College](/school/vassar-college/majors/) [ranks 1154th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/vassar-college/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earned a median of $65,095 four years after completing. |
| 19 | University of Rochester · Rochester, NY | $65,000 | $29,278 | $9,678 | 40.1% |
|  | [University of Rochester](/school/university-of-rochester/majors/) reports [$65,000 in median earnings](/school/university-of-rochester/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 40%. |
| 20 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $64,904 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
|  | With an [admission rate of 11%](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/admissions/), [University of California-Berkeley](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/majors/) ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows median federal debt of $12,280 among Research and Experimental Psychology completers who borrowed. |
| 21 | University of Delaware · Newark, DE | $63,614 | $17,799 | $10,901 | 70.6% |
|  | [University of Delaware](/school/university-of-delaware/majors/) [admits 71% of applicants](/school/university-of-delaware/admissions/) and reports $63,614 in median earnings for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing. |
| 22 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $63,415 | $25,184 | \-$420\* | 5.4% |
|  | [Brown University](/school/brown-university/majors/) posts an [average net price of $25,184,](/school/brown-university/cost/) and its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earned a median of $63,415 four years after completing. |
| 23 | New York University · New York, NY | $63,315 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
|  | [New York University](/school/new-york-university/majors/) reports [$63,315 in median earnings](/school/new-york-university/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, with 530 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 24 | Princeton University · Princeton, NJ | $63,216 | $6,128 | $41 | 4.6% |
|  | [Princeton University](/school/princeton-university/majors/) [ranks 68th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/princeton-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and posts an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 25 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $63,130 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
|  | [University of California-San Diego](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/majors/) reports [median earnings of $63,130](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/outcomes/) for its Research and Experimental Psychology graduates four years after completing, and ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |

\* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

Continue by region[Research and Experimental Psychology Programs in the Midwest](/rankings/best-research-and-experimental-psychology-programs-in-the-midwest/)[Best Experimental Psychology Programs in the Northeast](/rankings/best-research-and-experimental-psychology-programs-in-the-northeast/)[Research and Experimental Psychology Programs in the South](/rankings/best-research-and-experimental-psychology-programs-in-the-south/)

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Social Psychology graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figures cover federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 6 of the 70 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from top to bottom is $77,836, and the gap between first-ranked Dartmouth College and second-ranked Columbia University in the City of New York is $12,398.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Psychology Colleges in the United States](/rankings/best-psychology-colleges/)
-   Psychology Colleges for Social Mobility