Affordable online psychology master’s degrees

Fee units, residency eligibility, and placement conditions come from each school’s published terms:

University of West Alabama: Credits are semester credits. This is the general research option of the MS in Experimental Psychology, published as 36 hours: an 18-hour core of 9 statistics and research methods hours plus 9 theory hours, 12 elective hours, and a thesis of at least 6 hours. The general option itself requires a thesis. The page also lists Clinical Psychology (39-57 hours) and Health and Sports Psychology (39-54 hours) options, which are not priced here. The degree is earned fully online, and all students begin in the fall or spring semester. The program states that the clinical option alone does not fulfill the requirements for an LPC or other counseling licensing credentials, and that it is not CACREP accredited. The published $429 per credit hour is the graduate rate listed on UWA's online tuition page with no residency categories. That page also lists $50-$300 per online course, a $120 per semester Tiger One technology fee, a $50 comprehensive examination fee and a $30 application fee with processing fees. The page does not say which requirements trigger the comprehensive examination fee, so ask the school which charges your plan triggers. Admission requires a completed degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA, and the program page lists no GRE requirement. Confirm your own plan with the department before enrolling.

Troy University: Credits are semester credits. Troy publishes two tracks: a non-thesis 33-credit track and a thesis 36-credit track. This row prices the 33-credit non-thesis track. The degree is 100% online, taught in 9-week terms with start terms in August (Term 1) and January (Term 3), and can be finished in about 17 to 19 months. The TROY Online page publishes one graduate rate of $475 per credit hour for 2026-2027 with no residency categories. Troy's Alabama-campus schedule for the same year publishes $475 in-state and $950 out-of-state with a waiver note, so confirm with the school which rate an out-of-state online student is billed. Troy publishes program fees of $24 to $75 per credit hour that vary by college and program and does not say which one applies to psychology courses, so no per-credit fee is included. The university also states its fee list is not comprehensive, so ask the school for its fee list. Trojan Book Bag is a $24 per credit hour course-materials program, not tuition. The graduate application fee is $50 and is non-refundable. Ask the school how many transfer credits it would accept; no ceiling is published on these pages.

University of South Dakota: Credits are semester credits. This is an M.A. in Counseling and Psychology in Education with a Human Development and Educational Psychology specialization, not a standalone M.S. in Psychology. Only the non-thesis plan is online: the catalog states the non-thesis M.A. track can be obtained on-campus or online and the thesis M.A. is on-campus only. The 33 semester credits here are the non-thesis plan (15 core credits plus 18 supporting courses). The thesis plan is also 33 credits. The online rate is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The online tuition page prints a $0.00 fee row beside the graduate per-credit rate and states there are no additional fees, with nursing as the only stated exception. Books, materials and any other charges are not confirmed, so no total is shown. The tuition page states no academic year, so confirm the current rate with the school. The catalog lists a $40 one-time application fee. The university states this program is not designed or advertised to lead to a professional license or certification required for employment. No transfer-credit ceiling is published for this program. Ask the school for a written evaluation of your existing credits before you plan around a total.

Pennsylvania Western University: Credits are semester credits. The 2026-2027 graduate catalog lists this M.Ed. with the location Online and a total of 30 credits. Two online rates are published: $557 per credit for in-state students and $568 per credit for out-of-state students. Each adds a technology fee and an instructional support fee, and the page's published per-credit totals are $692.07 in-state and $767 out-of-state. Campus-based fees are charged only if any course is face-to-face or you live in campus housing, so they are outside a fully online plan. The tuition page states the listed fees are mandatory and warns that additional course-specific fees may apply. Ask the school for its fee list. No application fee or transfer-credit ceiling is published on these pages. Ask the school for both.

Shippensburg University: Credits are semester credits. The graduate handbook describes the M.S. in Applied Psychology (also written Master's of Applied Psychology, MAP) as delivered 100% online asynchronously, 30 credit hours taught in 8-week terms, completable in one year full-time or two years part-time, with rolling admission. Two online rates are published: Pennsylvania residents pay $557 per credit and non-residents pay $568 per credit. Each adds an $82 educational service fee, a $20 activity fee and a technology tuition fee of $34 for residents or $46 for non-residents, and the page's published per-credit totals are $693 for Pennsylvania residents and $716 for non-residents. Online students are not charged the comprehensive health or student union fees listed for on-campus students. A $10 per credit off-campus support fee is charged only to students taking courses at specific locations, so it is not in the rate above. The tuition page states no academic year, so confirm the current rate with the school. Up to nine credit hours closely related to the program may be recommended in transfer.

University of Louisiana at Monroe: Credits are semester credits. The general M.S. and the Forensic Psychology concentration are offered fully online. The psychometrics concentration can be finished online except for one semester on campus, so it is not in this row. The 2026-2027 catalog prints 36 semester hours for the general option (three required courses, PSYC 5002 and 24 hours of electives) and 36 hours for each concentration. A thesis is optional and is not required for the general option. The online graduate rate is $500 per credit hour, and the university states it includes mandated fees and tuition, with no other university fees billed except course and professional program fees where appropriate. Because those fees are named but not priced, ask the school for its fee list. The rate page states no academic year, so confirm the current rate with the school. Ask the school for its application fee and how many transfer credits it would accept; neither is published on these pages.

CUNY School of Professional Studies: Credits are semester credits. The degree requires at least 36 credits: 6 core credits, 9 research-methods credits, a 15-credit specialization (Developmental Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Aging Studies) and a 6-credit capstone. The degree is fully online. CUNY SPS states the concentrations do not qualify graduates to practice as a clinical psychologist, counseling/marriage, family and child therapist, or school psychologist, nor for licensure by the State of New York. Two online rates are published: $470 per credit for New York State residents and $565 per credit for everyone else. The rates page states that students who first enroll or are readmitted in January 2023 or later are charged the non-resident online rate, so confirm which rate applies to you. Fees are billed per term, per session or once rather than per credit: a one-time $75 graduate application fee, a $62.50 part-time technology fee per term ($125 full-time), a $15 consolidated services fee per session and a $23.55 student activity fee for fall and spring terms. Ask the school how many transfer credits it will accept; no ceiling is published on these pages.

Lincoln Memorial University: Credits are semester credits. All three tracks (General, Forensic Psychology and Sports Psychology) are 33 semester credits and are designed to be completed in 16 months or less. The university states the program is 100% online and that international students do not currently qualify because of that format. The 2026-2027 cost-of-attendance page publishes $625 per credit hour for this degree against a 24 credit-hour assumption, plus $426 of program fees with no billing unit stated. Ask the school how the program fees are billed before you compare totals. All students must pass a comprehensive examination, and the catalog describes the coursework as preparation for postgraduate study leading to a terminal degree. The university does not claim licensure for this degree. Up to nine graduate credit hours closely related to the degree may be accepted in transfer, with approval from the program's Admissions Committee. The university states all costs are subject to change without notice, so confirm the rate before you commit.

Ball State University: Credits are semester credits. The degree is 30 credits, delivered 100% online, with four specializations and a customizable option; full-time students can finish in about 18 months. The university states plainly that the master's degree in educational psychology is not affiliated with a school psychologist license and points to its separate on-campus school psychology programs. Indiana residents pay $464 per credit; non-residents pay $696 per credit for online or distance education courses. An online course fee of $25 per credit applies on top, and a technology fee of $100 per term under 7 credits or $150 at 7 or more credits is billed each term. Students who take all their classes online are not charged the main campus health, recreation and transportation fees. The First Day Fee is $22.75 per credit and applies to all courses, but it is a course-materials charge that is non-refundable unless you opt out. Textbooks and materials are outside the published tuition. One-time charges include a $60 graduate admission application fee and a $25 application for graduation. Ask the school for its fee list, since some programs carry additional course or program fees.

Southern New Hampshire University: Credits are semester credits. The program page publishes a 36-credit degree made up of 12 courses in 10-week terms, at $659 per credit. The university states the degree is not a clinical psychology program and will not lead directly to licensure. No fee amounts are published on this page, so fees are not included. Ask the school for its fee list. The page does not state an academic year, so confirm the current rate with the school. Transfer credits are accepted and lower the cost, but no ceiling is published on this page. Ask the university how many credits it would accept.

Regent University: Credits are semester credits. Regent's program page publishes the requirement as "39+" credit hours; the Fall 2026 graduate catalog lists the degree at 39 credit hours. Confirm the exact total with the university before you price the degree. The program is delivered entirely online and is designated "Credential Prep: Non-Licensure." The published online rate is $695 per credit hour for 2026-27, the same for part-time and full-time students. The university services fee for online students is $750 per semester; it is a per-term charge, not a one-time fee, so it is not included in the per-credit rate and coverage stays partial. Ask the university how many transfer credits it would accept; no ceiling is published on the pages used here.

Walden University: Credits are quarter credits. The degree requires 48 quarter credits. Enter accepted credits in quarter credits; the tool does not convert semester credits to quarter credits. The 48-credit figure is the course-based total for specializations other than Applied Behavior Analysis. Walden publishes the ABA specialization separately at 63 quarter credits ($610 per quarter hour, $38,430), so this rate does not cover it. Walden states the degree is not a licensure program and does not prepare graduates to become licensed psychology or counseling professionals. The $610 per quarter credit is the course-based rate. Walden's Tempo Learning self-paced format of the same degree is billed as a flat subscription for each 3-month term, so that format is not billed per credit. The $185 program fee is charged per quarter, not per credit, and Walden states books and materials are not included, so the complete cost is not confirmed. Walden states it may accept up to 24 transfer credits but does not state the unit of that 24. The table treats it as 24 quarter credits and does not price more; ask the school how your credits would count. Any published scholarship amount is aid and is not part of this rate. Walden states the program is fully online with no residency requirement, and notes that not all programs are authorized in every state; check availability where you live.