How much debt do FAMU interdisciplinary studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $31,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 9 interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $329 a month over 10 years.

Is a interdisciplinary studies degree from FAMU worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 103% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 76%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

FAMU Interdisciplinary Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do FAMU interdisciplinary studies graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 73% (133 of 181) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General
Public university
Tallahassee, FL
About 110 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

FAMU interdisciplinary studies graduates earn less than graduates of most interdisciplinary studies programs nationally, $30,107 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,000 in federal loans, more than at 75% of interdisciplinary studies programs in the country. Several Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,10715th percentile of 52 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,26034% more than year one

Median federal debt$31,0008th lowest of 9 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings103%Florida median 68%, national 76%

How it compares

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

	FAMU	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,107	$35,282	$34,782
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,260	$50,442	$48,160
Median federal debt at graduation	$31,000	$24,025	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	103%	68%	76%
Programs compared		9	52

Five years out, FAMU graduates earn less than the national figure and about $10,182 less than the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida interdisciplinary studies program

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

FAMUOther 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

FAMU grads, year 1$30,107

FAMU grads, year 5$40,260

All Florida interdisciplinary studies grads, year 5$50,442

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 $2,864 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$29,930Median debt $31,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,794Median debt $25,874

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $329 a month, or 13.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (269 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5% or less
Paying down the balance	5% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	35–39%
In default	5–9%

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, 87 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,588.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

73% of graduates (133 of 181) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Tallahassee area are about 6% below the national average, so a $30,107 salary here buys what about $32,056 buys in a typical US city.

About FAMU

In-state tuition and fees	$5,785 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,725 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,739 / year
Admission rate	21%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	7,582

Interdisciplinary Studies ranks 13th of 19 bachelor's programs at FAMU by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Engineering Technology ($70,804), Nursing ($64,772), and Computer and Information Science ($55,617).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,107 one year after graduating and $40,260 five years after. The median across interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in Florida is $35,282.

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 interdisciplinary studies 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

Interdisciplinary Studies bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Interdisciplinary Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked52 programs by pay and debt All FAMU programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt