How much debt do University of Florida criminology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 7 criminology bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminology degree from University of Florida worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 64%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Florida programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

University of Florida Criminology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Florida criminology graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 81% (146 of 180) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Criminology
Public university
Gainesville, FL
About 209 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Florida criminology graduates earn about what criminology graduates earn nationally, $35,096 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 86% of criminology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying criminology degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$35,09634th percentile of 105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$61,03074% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5002nd lowest of 7 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Florida median 61%, national 64%

How it compares

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

	University of Florida	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,096	$35,096	$37,476
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$61,030	$51,091	$54,271
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	61%	64%
Programs compared		7	105

Five years out, University of Florida graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,939 more than the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida criminology program

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

University of FloridaOther 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 74% between the first and fifth year.

University of Florida grads, year 1$35,096

University of Florida grads, year 5$61,030

All Florida criminology grads, year 5$51,091

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$34,128Median debt $19,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$35,101Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (142 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% 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, 27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $19,821.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (146 of 180) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Gainesville area are about 3% below the national average, so a $35,096 salary here buys what about $36,281 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 criminology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Sociologists

$46,950

Median pay in Florida. 160 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,150Top 10%: $171,360

About University of Florida

In-state tuition and fees	$6,381 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,659 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,541 / year
Admission rate	24%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	91%
Undergraduate students	35,629

Criminology ranks 39th of 70 bachelor's programs at University of Florida by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($90,651), Computer Engineering ($87,949), and Chemical Engineering ($87,164).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,096 one year after graduating and $61,030 five years after. The median across criminology bachelor's programs in Florida is $35,096.

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 criminology 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

Criminology bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Criminology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked105 programs by pay and debt All University of Florida programs, ranked70 programs by pay and debt