Social sciences
What can you do with a Psychology degree?
Quick answer
A Psychology degree commonly leads to roles such as assistant psychologist, psychological wellbeing practitioner and research assistant. Five years after graduating, Psychology graduates had median earnings of £29,600 (middle half: £24,200–£36,600), and 89.5% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Psychology graduates is health and social work (26.4% of those in work).
Psychology degrees cover behaviour, research methods, and evidence. Typical first jobs include assistant and research roles.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £22,700
- Median pay after 5 years
- £29,600
- In work or study after 5 years
- 89.5%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 112 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Health and social work
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 13,500
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Psychology degree?
Graduates commonly start as assistant psychologist, psychological wellbeing practitioner, research assistant or mental health support worker. Psychology also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Assistant psychologist
Supports a qualified psychologist with notes, outcome measures, and structured sessions under supervision.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- record keeping
- supervised assessment
- safeguarding
Psychological wellbeing practitioner
Skills these adverts often ask for
- guided self-help
- risk protocols
- caseload admin
Research assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- SPSS or R basics
- participant recruitment
- literature review
Mental health support worker
Skills these adverts often ask for
- de-escalation
- care plans
- shift handover
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Psychology graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Psychology graduates in UK employment were health and social work (26.4%), education (20%) and public administration and defence (10.8%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was health and social work (26.2%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Health and social work | 26.4% | £28,200 |
| Education | 20% | £29,300 |
| Public administration and defence | 10.8% | £31,800 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 9.1% | £35,500 |
| Wholesale and retail | 6.3% | £26,700 |
| Administrative and support services | 5.9% | £28,900 |
| Information and communication | 4.9% | £37,000 |
| Finance and insurance | 4.2% | £34,400 |
Most common specific industries
- Hospital activities — 10.2% of graduates in work, median £28,900
- Primary education — 9% of graduates in work, median £30,000
- Provision of services to the community as a whole — 6% of graduates in work, median £31,800
- Other human health activities — 5.9% of graduates in work, median £28,900
- Secondary education — 5.3% of graduates in work, median £29,600
- Other social work activities without accommodation — 4.4% of graduates in work, median £27,100
How much do Psychology graduates earn?
Official dataPsychology graduates had median earnings of £22,700 one year after graduating and £29,600 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £22,700DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £17,200–£27,100 | 90.1% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £27,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £22,700–£32,200 | 90.4% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £29,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,200–£36,600 | 89.5% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £35,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,200–£47,200 | 86.5% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Psychology graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Psychology graduates measured, King's College London had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£48,300), followed by University of Bristol (£41,700) and University College London (£41,000).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| King's College London | £48,300 | 70 |
| University of Bristol | £41,700 | 110 |
| University College London | £41,000 | 95 |
| University of Bath | £36,200 | 120 |
| University of Exeter | £36,200 | 185 |
| Queen Mary University of London | £35,900 | 65 |
| Royal Holloway, University of London | £35,100 | 130 |
| Loughborough University | £34,800 | 130 |
| Newcastle University | £34,800 | 100 |
| University of Nottingham | £34,800 | 180 |
Is Psychology the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You want to design studies and interpret behavioural data, not only talk about feelings.
- You are willing to learn statistics and write structured lab reports.
- You like connecting theory to safeguarding, health, or workplace settings.
It may not suit you if
- You expected a counselling qualification on graduation day.
- You dislike numbers, ethics applications, or slow experimental work.
- You want a course that maps to a single protected job title immediately.
Interview questions for Psychology graduate roles
EditorialEarly psychology jobs are supervised. Interviews usually test whether you understand evidence, notes, and safeguarding — not whether you can practise independently. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A service user misses three sessions. What do you record, and who do you tell?
What it tests. Record-keeping, escalation, and the limits of an assistant role.
How would you explain a simple outcome measure to a non-specialist colleague?
What it tests. Whether you can talk about data without overclaiming what a score means.
You notice a risk comment in notes that was not handed over. What next?
What it tests. Safeguarding instincts and using the service’s protocol instead of improvising.
Describe a study you read and one thing that limits how far you can generalise it.
What it tests. Research literacy: sample, design, and honest uncertainty.
Why is this role supervised rather than independent psychological practice?
What it tests. That you know the title is not a licence to diagnose or treat unsupervised.
Most Psychology courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Psychology graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to psychology. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Assistant psychologist…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Psychology?
EditorialSome NHS and local-authority employers run practitioner or wellbeing apprenticeships. They are a different training route from a British Psychological Society-accredited degree. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
These intake-specific records have been checked against official course pages. They are separate from the broader editorial subject links.
- Psychology BSc at University of Bath — September 2027
- Psychology BSc at University of York — September 2027
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Psychology in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Psychology in our index
125 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Psychology in the full university explorer.
Show all 125 universities
Name, city, or a CourseToJob subject. Nothing is stored.
Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Psychology degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Psychology degree?
Common starting roles include assistant psychologist, psychological wellbeing practitioner, research assistant and mental health support worker. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Psychology graduates in work were health and social work (26.4%), education (20%) and public administration and defence (10.8%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Psychology graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Psychology graduates of £22,700 one year after graduating, £27,100 three years after graduating, £29,600 five years after graduating and £35,100 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Psychology degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 89.5% of Psychology graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £29,600. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Psychology 112 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Psychology graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Psychology were at King's College London (£48,300), University of Bristol (£41,700) and University College London (£41,000). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Psychology in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.