How much debt do USF theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,849, which ranks 10th lowest of 11 theatre bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $285 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from USF worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 109% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%.

USF Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do USF theatre graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 90% (28 of 31) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Public university
Tampa, FL
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

USF theatre graduates earn more than graduates of most theatre programs nationally, $24,732 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,849 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying theatre degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$24,73280th percentile of 257 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$35,94945% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,84910th lowest of 11 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings109%Florida median 114%, national 115%

How it compares

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

	USF	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,732	$20,170	$20,815
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$35,949	$32,432	$34,512
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,849	$21,585	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	109%	114%	115%
Programs compared		14	257

Five years out, USF graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,518 more than the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida theatre program

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

USFOther 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 45% between the first and fifth year.

USF grads, year 1$24,732

USF grads, year 5$35,949

All Florida theatre grads, year 5$32,432

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 $285 a month, or 13.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

90% of graduates (28 of 31) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Tampa area are about 1% above the national average, so a $24,732 salary here buys what about $24,514 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 theatre, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$79,920

Median pay in Florida. 7,160 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $46,460Top 10%: $164,090

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

About USF

In-state tuition and fees	$6,410 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,324 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,812 / year
Admission rate	43%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	77%
Undergraduate students	37,207

Theatre ranks 51st of 54 bachelor's programs at USF by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($83,660), Electrical Engineering ($78,825), and Nursing ($72,879).

Other theatre bachelor's programs near Tampa

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
USFTampa, FL · public		$24,732	$26,849
University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	8 mi	$17,196	$26,000
Florida Southern CollegeLakeland, FL · private nonprofit	28 mi	$22,336	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,732 one year after graduating and $35,949 five years after. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in Florida is $20,170.

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 theatre 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

Theatre bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All USF programs, ranked54 programs by pay and debt