How much debt do UCF anthropology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,375, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 anthropology bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $216 a month over 10 years.

Is a anthropology degree from UCF worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 76% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

UCF Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UCF anthropology graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 75% (49 of 65) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Anthropology
Public university
Orlando, FL
About 102 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UCF anthropology graduates earn about what anthropology graduates earn nationally, $26,922 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,375 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,962. Two other Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$26,92244th percentile of 166 programs nationally

Median federal debt$20,3753rd lowest of 6 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings76%Florida median 81%, national 81%

How it compares

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

	UCF	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$26,922	$26,670	$27,790
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,375	$20,725	$22,962
Debt as share of first-year pay	76%	81%	81%
Programs compared		6	166

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida anthropology program

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

UCFOther Florida programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $216 a month, or 9.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (74 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

75% of graduates (49 of 65) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Orlando area are about 1% above the national average, so a $26,922 salary here buys what about $26,546 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 anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$94,940

Median pay in Florida. 6,490 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,630Top 10%: $208,090

Forensic Science Technicians

$64,140

Median pay in Florida. 1,920 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $44,280Top 10%: $93,870

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$59,270

Median pay in Florida. 620 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $44,660Top 10%: $95,180

About UCF

In-state tuition and fees	$6,368 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,467 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,411 / year
Admission rate	40%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	78%
Undergraduate students	59,146

Anthropology ranks 52nd of 59 bachelor's programs at UCF by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($76,819), Electrical Engineering ($75,498), and Nursing ($73,765).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $26,922 one year after graduating. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in Florida is $26,670.

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 anthropology 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

Anthropology bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Anthropology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All UCF programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt