Eckerd College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Saint Petersburg, Florida. It enrolls 1,888 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar4-1-4 Plan
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Fair
53/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes58
Value4
Affordability13
Selectivity61
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Eckerd College admits 75.8% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
75.8%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1160 – 1330
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
24 – 29
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Eckerd College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
11.2 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $38,071 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$51,884
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,734
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,734
Books & Supplies
$1,350
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,100
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,100
Total Cost of Attendance
$68,944
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$29,615
$30,001 – $48,000
$34,524
$48,001 – $75,000
$34,294
$75,001 – $110,000
$35,840
Over $110,000
$43,955
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,69210%percentile
$7,96525%percentile
$27,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$32,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $23,250
↓ $3,750
No Pell $19,000
↓ $8,000
Dependent students $19,500
↓ $7,500
Independent students $15,390
↓ $11,610
Female students $19,000
↓ $8,000
Male students $22,250
↓ $4,750
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,296, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
57% of students who start here finish within six years, and 77% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
57%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
77%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $51,819 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$51,819
Earning > $25K
78%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$44,300
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$51,200
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$36,700
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$45,700
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$52,100
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $6,900, about 13% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
8.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 64% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,888 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
1,888
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
20%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 75.1%1,418
Hispanic 10.1%190
Other 5.7%108
International 3.9%73
Black 3.0%56
Asian 1.9%35
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Eckerd College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Eckerd College offers
a varied set of programs:
35 distinct programs across
16 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$180M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$80,108
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
172 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
42
24%
$103,586
Associate Professors
35
20%
$82,630
Assistant Professors
79
46%
$70,759
Instructors
16
9%
$59,123
Pros & Cons of Eckerd College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Eckerd College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for:
Based on the data, Eckerd College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Eckerd College
The questions families ask most about Eckerd College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Eckerd College hard to get into?
Not especially. Eckerd College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 75.8%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Eckerd College?
75.8% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Eckerd College?
Aim for 1330 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1160 and 1330 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Eckerd College?
Aim for 29 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 24 and 29 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Eckerd College cost?
Budget around $38,071 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Eckerd College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $51,819 a year against a net price of $38,071, about 1.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Eckerd College known for?
Mostly Ecology, Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Zoology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Eckerd College graduates earn?
About $51,819 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Eckerd College accredited?
Yes. Eckerd College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Eckerd College?
1,888 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Eckerd College?
57% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Eckerd College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Eckerd College located?
Eckerd College is located in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
What programs does Eckerd College offer?
35 different programs, most commonly Ecology, Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Zoology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Eckerd College?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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