How much debt do UCF public administration graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,453, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 public administration bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $238 a month over 10 years.

Is a public administration degree from UCF worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 49%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do UCF public administration graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 86% (51 of 59) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Public Administration
Public university
Orlando, FL
About 47 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UCF public administration graduates earn less than graduates of most public administration programs nationally, $38,681 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,453 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,626. Several Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,68120th percentile of 45 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$53,85039% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,4533rd lowest of 6 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings58%Florida median 51%, national 49%

How it compares

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

	UCF	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,681	$46,047	$45,278
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$53,850	$53,850	$59,135
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,453	$24,091	$23,626
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	51%	49%
Programs compared		7	45

Five years out, UCF graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida public administration 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.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 39% between the first and fifth year.

UCF grads, year 1$38,681

UCF grads, year 5$53,850

All Florida public administration grads, year 5$53,850

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $238 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (58 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

86% of graduates (51 of 59) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Orlando area are about 1% above the national average, so a $38,681 salary here buys what about $38,140 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 public administration, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$101,580

Median pay in Florida. 236,290 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $48,670Top 10%: $226,080

Construction Managers

$113,130

Median pay in Florida. 34,010 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 49,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,200Top 10%: $209,450

Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers

$101,570

Median pay in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $54,490Top 10%: $173,950

Social and Community Service Managers

$76,050

Median pay in Florida. 8,600 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $48,080Top 10%: $132,510

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

Public Administration ranks 29th 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 $38,681 one year after graduating and $53,850 five years after. The median across public administration bachelor's programs in Florida is $46,047.

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 public administration 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

Public Administration bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Public Administration bachelor's programs in the US, ranked45 programs by pay and debt All UCF programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt