Affordable, Best Colleges For Psychology In 2021

Despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, average college tuition is continuing its constant, year over year march to higher and higher levels. In a previous article about the colleges that give you the biggest bang for your buck, we showed that the average college tuition for a four-year institution — adjusted for inflation — has more than doubled from 1985-1986 to 2017-2018. Both public college and private college tuition costs have increased constantly over the last three decades and at comparable rates. Private, liberal arts and sciences schools especially have proliferated, and many are far from cheap. Popular majors like psychology can end up costing quite a bit in tuition. A recent study conducted by BrokeScholar analyzed over 100 colleges in the United States, using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, that are selective — meaning they have a fall 2019 admission rate of less than 40% — and evaluated them in terms of their affordability and academic quality, specifically in the area of psychology Bachelor’s programs. The study found a variety of colleges, both public and private, that effectively combine affordability and solid education, with large numbers or percentages of students completing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.  

Read on to find out some of the best colleges for psychology, both public and private.

Best Public Colleges for Psychology

There are some great public colleges when it comes to studying psychology. One of the best colleges for psychology, City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College, comes with an average tuition of only $12,765. At the same time, more than a fifth of Bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2018-2019 academic year were for majors in psychology. All this while the school remains fairly selective, with a fall 2019 admission rate of 35%. There are also plenty of state-level public colleges that are both affordable and offer a top-quality psychology education.

Coppin State University

• Undergraduate Population: 2,724
• In-state Tuition: $8,744 | Out-of-state Tuition: $15,141
• Admission Rate: 28%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 11.6%

CUNY Hunter College

• Undergraduate Population: 17,121
• In-state Tuition: $6,930 | Out-of-state Tuition: $18,600
• Admission Rate: 35%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 21.4%

Florida State University (FSU)

• Undergraduate Population: 42,587
• In-state Tuition: $6,516 | Out-of-state Tuition: $21,683
• Admission Rate: 36%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 7.5%

University of California, Davis

• Undergraduate Population: 30,982
• In-state Tuition: $14,597.27 | Out-of-state Tuition: $44,351.27
• Admission Rate: 39%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 9%

University of California, Irvine

• Undergraduate Population: 30,382
• In-state Tuition: $15,670.93 | Out-of-state Tuition: $45,424.93
• Admission Rate: 27%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 9.8%

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

• Undergraduate Population: 31,543
• In-state Tuition: $13,239 | Out-of-state Tuition: $42,993
• Admission Rate: 12%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 11.5%

University of California, Santa Barbara

• Undergraduate Population: 23,349
• In-state Tuition: $12,570 | Out-of-state Tuition: $42,324
• Admission Rate: 30%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 11.2%

University of Michigan

• Undergraduate Population: 31,266
• In-state Tuition: $16,212 | Out-of-state Tuition: $52,669
• Admission Rate: 23%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 8.4%

University of North Carolina (UNC)

• Undergraduate Population: 19,117
• In-state Tuition: $8,980 | Out-of-state Tuition: $36,159
• Admission Rate: 23%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 8%

University of South Florida Sarasota—Manatee

• Undergraduate Population: 2,062
• In-state Tuition: $5,587 | Out-of-state Tuition: $16,501
• Admission Rate: 24%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 10.9%

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

• Undergraduate Population: 3,893
• In-state Tuition: $5,821 | Out-of-state Tuition: $16,736
• Admission Rate: 27%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 12.2%

Best Private Colleges for Psychology

For the best colleges for psychology that are private schools, annual tuition ranged widely, from as little as $0 to $59,086. However, this needs to be qualified. The best private college for psychology with $0 tuition is the College of the Ozarks, one of the few institutions of higher education that has a federally recognized work study program. Undergraduate students work a certain number of hours as required while attending school, resulting in a tuition-free college experience. All these private schools offer great psychology programs with sizeable percentages of students majoring in the subject.

College of the Ozarks

• Undergraduate Population: 1,546
• Tuition: $0 (work-study program)
• Admission Rate: 10%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 6.5%

Point University

• Undergraduate Population: 2,340
• Tuition: $20,700
• Admission Rate: 29%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 15.2%

Wesleyan University

• Undergraduate Population: 3,018
• Tuition: $ 59,086
• Admission Rate: 16%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 15.6%

Bates College

• Undergraduate Population: 1,820
• Tuition: $ 58,456
• Admission Rate: 12%
• Percentage of Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded: 10.9%

Check out the full report on the best colleges for psychology at an affordable price.