Criminal Justice and Corrections at South University-Tampa

South University-Tampa's Criminal Justice program carries debt burdens that dramatically outpace its earnings potential. At $55,652, graduates leave with more than double the debt of typical Florida criminal justice graduates ($25,500) and more than twice the national median ($26,130). This means students are paying premium private school prices for below-average outcomes—the program ranks in just the 40th percentile among Florida schools, with first-year earnings of $37,713 falling short of the state median.

The debt-to-earnings picture creates real financial strain. With a 1.48 ratio, graduates owe nearly a year and a half of their starting salary, making this one of the most debt-heavy criminal justice programs in the country (5th percentile nationally). Compare this to top Florida performers like Herzing University-Orlando, where graduates earn $67,229, or even moderately priced state programs that deliver similar salaries with a fraction of the debt. While earnings do grow to $42,478 by year four—13% above starting—that's still less than what many graduates from other Florida programs earn immediately.

For a family considering this investment, the math is straightforward: you're borrowing twice what most criminal justice students take on for earnings that lag behind state peers. Unless significant merit aid brings that debt load down substantially, Florida offers better-value alternatives that lead to the same career paths without the crushing debt burden.