by our College Data Analytics Team
[Child Development Psychology](/majors/psychology/child-development-psychology/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a child development psychology degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 15 schools on the early-career earnings of their child development psychology graduates.
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If you want to know which schools send child development psychology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Leading the list is Harvard University, our #1 for child development psychology graduate salaries in the New England Region. Set in the city of Cambridge, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $102,305.
Strong graduate earnings at Tufts University earned it the #2 place for child development psychology. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,504.
Students chasing top earnings in child development psychology will find them at Smith College, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Northampton, Smith College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $62,558.
A rank of #4 makes Northeastern University one of the highest-paying schools for child development psychology. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, child development psychology degree recipients from Northeastern University typically earn about $64,262 annually.
Northeastern University Global Network produces some of the highest-paid graduates in child development psychology, landing the #5 spot this year. Northeastern University Global Network is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $64,262.
Yale University landed the #6 spot for child development psychology salaries this year. Set in the city of New Haven, Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $47,874.
Bates College came in at #7 for child development psychology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Lewiston, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, child development psychology degree recipients from Bates College typically earn about $47,376 annually.
Amherst College landed the #8 spot for child development psychology salaries this year. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Amherst. After graduating, child development psychology degree recipients from Amherst College typically earn about $45,786 annually.
Dartmouth College came in at #9 for child development psychology graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, child development psychology degree recipients from Dartmouth College typically earn about $42,947 annually.
Brown University placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for child development psychology. Brown University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $39,493.
Brandeis University came in at #11 for child development psychology graduate earnings this year. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham. Early-career child development psychology graduates from Brandeis University make a median of around $37,494 per year.
Emmanuel College Massachusetts ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying child development psychology schools. Located in the city of Boston, Emmanuel College Massachusetts is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, child development psychology degree recipients from Emmanuel College Massachusetts typically earn about $36,603 annually.
Wellesley College landed the #13 spot for child development psychology salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Wellesley, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $36,283.
Mount Holyoke College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying child development psychology schools. Mount Holyoke College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of South Hadley. Students who complete the child development psychology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $32,439.
Bay Path College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying child development psychology schools. Bay Path College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Longmeadow. Early-career child development psychology graduates from Bay Path College make a median of around $23,898 per year.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their child development psychology graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 15 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.