Most Affordable Online Psychology Programs of 2025

If you are passionate about learning about the human mind and want to positively impact people’s mental health, an online psychology program may be for you. With an online program, you can save money by taking courses at home and earning the same education as on campus.

According to the 2020 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, on-campus tuition and fees for psychology bachelor’s degrees cost $12,000. By attending online, students paid $9,300 — saving well over two grand before financial aid.

Discover the most affordable online psychology degrees and see where your education can take you.

Source: BestColleges 2024 Online Education Trends Report

Finding the right program starts with determining its accreditation status and cost. Other factors include the amount of financial aid you’ll receive, the program’s length, and the types of careers you can enter.

Online psychology bachelor’s tuition and fees after aid were around $6,000 if you live in state and about $3,000 for out-of-state students in 2020. Online programs are typically cheaper than in-person programs since you can avoid some transportation, housing, and facility fees.

Federal financial aid can lower the cost even further. You might also qualify for some grants and scholarships at your college.

Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you’re eligible for grants, scholarships, and/or loans based on your financial need.

Typically, an online bachelor’s in psychology requires 120 credits and takes four years of full-time study.

That said, you may complete it more quickly if you have transfer credits or can earn credits for work and life experience, exams, military training, and/or licenses.

If you’re working, consider a part-time program that can help you balance your responsibilities.

If you want to earn your degree faster, accelerated programs can reduce the length by a few years. Accelerated programs can also be more intense than traditional programs since they compress the same material into a shorter time frame.

Choosing an affordable program is important, but your degree might not be recognized by employers and graduate schools if the college or university you attend isn’t accredited.

Accreditation entails an independent review of a school’s academic quality. To be eligible for federal financial aid, you must attend an accredited institution.

Most employers won’t even consider hiring graduates of unaccredited schools. What’s more, credits from unaccredited schools rarely transfer to accredited schools.

All psychology programs we ranked above are offered by accredited institutions.

Some of the most common requirements for an online psychology bachelor’s program application are similar to in-person programs, including:

After earning your bachelor’s degree, you have a few options: either continue through a master’s, enter the workforce, or do both. Psychology is a vast major that doesn’t always lead to mental health counseling or psychology careers.

Some of the most common professions are interpersonal — serving the community, youth, other employees, and people with intellectual disabilities.

Explore how some common psychology bachelor’s degree careers pay and what the roles entail.

Source: BLS

If you’re trying to balance life, family, work, and a degree, an online psychology degree program on a budget may be worthwhile.

Balancing responsibilities was one of the biggest concerns for students that we surveyed; however, 100% of those students who took online psychology, education, and social sciences courses recommend the virtual format.

The majority of surveyed students didn’t miss out on the on-campus experience: 85% feel the online environment was the same as or better than in-person learning.

In addition, 92% of online psychology, education, and social sciences students and graduates say their degree has had or will have a positive return on investment.

Before enrolling in an online degree, consider your career goals. If you want to pursue undergraduate research, which is almost always in person, an online degree might not fit your needs or requirements for higher-level programs.

Otherwise, an online psychology degree from an accredited university allows you to pursue a job right out of college — or a master’s degree.

Psychology bachelor’s degree-holders made a median salary of $50,000 in 2019, according to the American Psychological Association. Nevertheless, you may have bigger opportunities for salary growth by pursuing an advanced degree.

Beyond a bachelor’s degree in psychology, you can advance your education by getting a master’s or even a doctoral degree.

Some common degrees, like a master’s in clinical mental health counseling and a master’s in school counseling, prepare you for general and K-12-specific counseling.

A doctorate in psychology or a related field allows you to dig further into research and prepares you for a career as a licensed psychologist. You can opt for either a Ph.D. in psychology or a doctor of psychology (Psy.D.).

Typically, Ph.D. in psychology candidates conduct research, with the goal of teaching at the university level. Psy.D. students, in contrast, focus more on clinical practice and hands-on practicums with patients.