Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at The University of Tampa

Tampa's nursing program starts graduates at roughly $71,500—about $5,000 below Florida's median and trailing well behind the state's top programs. More concerning, earnings barely budge over the next four years, growing just 1%. Compare that to Valencia or Miami Dade graduates who start in the low $90,000s, and you're looking at a $20,000 annual earnings gap that compounds over a career. Within Florida's 72 nursing programs, this lands at the 40th percentile: decidedly middle-of-the-pack.

The $27,000 debt load matches the national average and sits close to Tampa's in-state median, which makes the program financially manageable in absolute terms. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38 means your child would owe roughly five months of salary—reasonable for healthcare. But here's the tension: you're paying private university tuition (note the 41% admission rate and modest Pell enrollment) for outcomes that Florida's community colleges are delivering more efficiently.

If your child is set on Tampa for campus life or specific opportunities, nursing will lead to stable employment with manageable debt. Just understand you're not buying an earnings advantage—Florida's public nursing programs are consistently outperforming this one by $15,000-20,000 annually.