BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Eckerd College

Saint Petersburg, Florida·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·eckerd.edu
6-yr Graduation
66%
-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,893
peer median 1,483
Avg net price
$33,011
+$5.2k vs Baccalaureate
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About

Eckerd College is a private liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega Bay. Because of its location, Eckerd is considered a "beach school" and has its own student volunteer maritime search and rescue team. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and a member of the Annapolis group of national liberal arts colleges and the Oberlin Group of Libraries.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
5,071
5,071 candidates competed
Admitted
3,844
75.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
474
12.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
66%-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
59%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
66%
Full-time retention
76%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
63%
Non-Pell
64%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 39 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 30 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
39
Passing
9
23.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

39programs
  • Passing9 · 23.1%
  • No Data30 · 76.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
8
No data
30

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

9
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+14.7%
$39,932 vs $34,808
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+31.5%
$45,768 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+37.4%
$47,814 vs $34,808
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+39.7%
$48,631 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+52.9%
$53,220 vs $34,808
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+56.6%
$54,501 vs $34,808
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+75.2%
$60,969 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+77.2%
$61,685 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

7
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
66%
$26,257 debt · $39,932 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
59%
$27,000 debt · $45,768 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,814 earn
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
54%
$26,335 debt · $48,631 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$26,995 debt · $53,220 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
41%
$25,000 debt · $60,969 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
39%
$24,651 debt · $63,660 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1966Next review Jun 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 2

  1. Jun 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$26,746
$30–48k$28,782
$48–75k$30,034
$75–110k$32,127
$110k+$37,419

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$33,011
+$5,225vs Baccalaureate median $27,786
Federal loans
36.4%
In-state tuition
$50,374
Out-of-state
$50,374

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 488 students received $2.9M in Pell grants, alongside $13.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
488
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.9M
$2,912,585 total
Direct Loans
$13.3M
1,665 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.8M
624 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.6M
758 loan awards
Parent PLUS$7.9M
283 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 400 borrowers who entered repayment, 11 (2.7%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.7%
+0.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
400
Defaulted
11
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.3%
2017
5.5%
2018
3.0%
2019
2.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Eckerd College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs53
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

532 total completions
01Biological Sciences
23143.4%
02Natural Resources
7313.7%
03Psychology
5510.3%
04Business
519.6%
05Social Sciences
397.3%
06Visual/Performing Arts
315.8%
07Communication
152.8%
08Physical Sciences
142.6%
09English Language
142.6%
10Foreign Languages
91.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,893
12-mo unduplicated
2,004
Undergraduate
2,004
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
29%590
Women
71%1,414

Race / ethnicity composition

White
75.6%
Hispanic
9.9%
Two or more
5.9%
Non-resident
3.7%
Black
2.6%
Asian
2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Unknown
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
221
105 M · 116 W
Women athletes
52.5%
Athletic aid
$3.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$7.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.8M
$2.1M
Recruiting expense
$20K
$27K
Head-coach salaries
$58K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Soccer
30 M · 30 W
$1.4M
Baseball
36 M ·
$815K
Basketball
13 M · 10 W
$1.6M
Golf
14 M · 7 W
$409K
Tennis
9 M · 9 W
$398K
Softball
· 18 W
$539K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
9.03
18 offenses · 1,993 students

3-year trend

13.172 yrs ago11.301 yr ago9.03Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
65
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
34
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
10
Fondling
5
Burglary
2
Aggravated assault
1

By location

18total
  • On campus18

Includes 15 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
7
Stalking
9 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs027
Liquor013

Residence-hall fires

  • Epsilon Douglas1 fire
    Damage $100-$999
  • Omega1 fire
    Smoking materialsDamage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
168

Eckerd College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Eckerd College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectEckerd College
66%1,893$33,011Baccalaureate
Coe College
66%64.0%1,195$19,155Baccalaureate
Florida Southern College
71%64.4%3,211$29,664Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Hartwick College
53%69.6%1,097$29,800Baccalaureate
Juniata College
74%78.9%1,321$27,663Baccalaureate
Luther College
71%71.5%1,384$25,635Baccalaureate
Randolph-Macon College
70%86.6%1,687$27,759Baccalaureate
Roanoke College
67%83.1%1,804$27,786Baccalaureate
Saint Anselm College
80%78.0%2,111$34,744Baccalaureate
Saint Vincent College
69%61.7%1,440$23,331Baccalaureate
Ursinus College
73%91.8%1,502$30,485Baccalaureate
Wartburg College
64%75.8%1,483$22,604Baccalaureate
Westmont College
70%77.0%1,310$32,926Baccalaureate
Peer group median70%76.4%1,483$27,786

Eckerd College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Phone
727-867-1166
Address
St. Petersburg, Florida 33711

The page provides contact information for the Institutional Effectiveness office at Eckerd College, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, with phone numbers available for communication.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Jacqueline MacNeil
    Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness

Common Data Set (1)

The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (9)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

Notable alumni of Eckerd College (5)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Dorothy Allison
    Arts
  • Dennis Lehane
    Arts
  • Hank Green
    Science and technology
  • Aaron D. O'Connell
    Science and technology
  • Lara Dallman-Weiss
    Sports

Frequently asked questions about Eckerd College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Eckerd College.

What is the graduation rate at Eckerd College?

Eckerd College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 66% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Eckerd College?

Eckerd College reports a total enrollment of 1,893 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Eckerd College?

The average net price at Eckerd College is $33,011 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Eckerd College?

Eckerd College's yield rate is 12.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Eckerd College located?

Eckerd College is located in Saint Petersburg, Florida 33711-4700.

Who runs Institutional Research at Eckerd College?

Eckerd College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

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