How much debt do Eckerd College psychology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 20th lowest of 24 psychology bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a psychology degree from Eckerd College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 104% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

Do Eckerd College psychology graduates stay in Florida?

Many leave. 48% (20 of 42) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Eckerd College Psychology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Psychology, General
Private nonprofit college
Saint Petersburg, FL
About 46 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Eckerd College psychology graduates earn less than graduates of most psychology programs nationally, $25,930 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,624. Several Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,93011th percentile of 875 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$41,94762% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00020th lowest of 24 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings104%Florida median 80%, national 78%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Florida and national columns are the medians across all psychology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Eckerd College	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,930	$30,179	$31,479
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$41,947	$44,672	$49,019
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$23,675	$25,624
Debt as share of first-year pay	104%	80%	78%
Programs compared		24	875

Five years out, Eckerd College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,725 less than the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida psychology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Florida medians.

Eckerd CollegeOther Florida programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 62% between the first and fifth year.

Eckerd College grads, year 1$25,930

Eckerd College grads, year 5$41,947

All Florida psychology grads, year 5$44,672

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$26,191Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$25,928Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 13.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (64 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 19 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $69,070.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

48% of graduates (20 of 42) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Tampa area are about 1% above the national average, so a $25,930 salary here buys what about $25,701 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to psychology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

$85,610

Median pay in Florida. 3,040 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $55,480Top 10%: $259,990

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,700

Median pay in Florida. 1,130 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $33,190Top 10%: $81,520

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

$193,950

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About Eckerd College

Tuition and fees	$51,884 / year
Average net price after aid	$38,071 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	1,888

Psychology ranks 7th of 10 bachelor's programs at Eckerd College by first-year earnings. The top three are Political Science ($34,621), Communications ($33,544), and Business Administration ($33,153).

Other psychology bachelor's programs near Saint Petersburg

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Eckerd CollegeSaint Petersburg, FL · private nonprofit		$25,930	$27,000
University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	21 mi	$31,016	$25,730
USFTampa, FL · public	29 mi	$32,438	$21,267
Florida Southern CollegeLakeland, FL · private nonprofit	50 mi	$28,316	$25,500
Saint Leo UniversitySaint Leo, FL · private nonprofit	50 mi	$36,139	$32,461
Southeastern UniversityLakeland, FL · private nonprofit	52 mi	$26,915	$25,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,930 one year after graduating and $41,947 five years after. The median across psychology bachelor's programs in Florida is $30,179.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Florida comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the psychology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Psychology bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Psychology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked875 programs by pay and debt All Eckerd College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt