How much debt do UCF journalism graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,644, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 journalism bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $240 a month over 10 years.

Is a journalism degree from UCF worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%.

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

Q: Do UCF journalism graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 51% (28 of 55) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Journalism
Public university
Orlando, FL
About 56 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UCF journalism graduates earn more than graduates of most journalism programs nationally, $40,945 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,644 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. One other Florida program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$40,94585th percentile of 170 programs nationally

Median federal debt$22,6443rd lowest of 5 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings55%Florida median 55%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	UCF	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,945	$38,164	$34,515
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,644	$22,644	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	55%	67%
Programs compared		5	170

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida journalism 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.

Does family income change the outcome?

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

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$41,524Median debt $21,538

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$40,343Median debt $23,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $240 a month, or 7.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

51% of graduates (28 of 55) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Orlando area are about 1% above the national average, so a $40,945 salary here buys what about $40,373 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 journalism, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Editors

$73,950

Median pay in Florida. 3,790 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $43,230Top 10%: $121,380

Photographers

$42,640

Median pay in Florida. 4,390 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $29,990Top 10%: $80,400

Writers and Authors

$68,080

Median pay in Florida. 3,010 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $41,650Top 10%: $102,540

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$58,730

Median pay in Florida. 2,490 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,380Top 10%: $122,560

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

Journalism ranks 26th 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 $40,945 one year after graduating. The median across journalism bachelor's programs in Florida is $38,164.

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 journalism 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

Journalism bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Journalism bachelor's programs in the US, ranked170 programs by pay and debt All UCF programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt