How much debt do University of Tampa economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 11th lowest of 11 economics bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from University of Tampa worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Florida programs before deciding.

University of Tampa Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit university
Tampa, FL
About 20 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Tampa economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $54,284 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 85% of economics programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$54,28461st percentile of 338 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,00011th lowest of 11 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings50%Florida median 48%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	University of Tampa	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$54,284	$47,304	$51,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$21,500	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	48%	43%
Programs compared		11	338

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida economics program

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

University of TampaOther 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 $286 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Tampa area are about 1% above the national average, so a $54,284 salary here buys what about $53,805 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$60,410

Median pay in Florida. 49,810 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,210Top 10%: $77,100

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$75,450

Median pay in Florida. 60,770 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,830Top 10%: $130,570

Data Scientists

$115,820

Median pay in Florida. 10,240 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,080Top 10%: $174,140

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,700

Median pay in Florida. 1,130 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $33,190Top 10%: $81,520

About University of Tampa

Tuition and fees	$34,408 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,211 / year
Admission rate	40%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	10,572

Economics ranks 2nd of 25 bachelor's programs at University of Tampa by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,478), Economics ($54,284), and Information Technology ($54,209).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Tampa

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit		$54,284	$27,000
USFTampa, FL · public	8 mi	$47,351	$22,925

Common questions

The median graduate earns $54,284 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Florida is $47,304.

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 economics 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

Economics bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All University of Tampa programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt