It’s no longer news that the cost of education is getting higher, especially in the United States. Probably you’ve heard the saying, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance,” but it seems the price of education is skyrocketing and ignorance is now looking like a cheap bargain.
Don’t get me wrong, ignorance is not an option, but if nothing is being done to our educational system we might end up hitting rock-bottom student loan debt.
Fortunately, several cheapest community colleges in Florida can help you out. The idea here is to take an associate 2-year degree in this college, then go to a regular 4-year university and take the remaining two years to earn a bachelor’s degree.
This saves you a lot of money, and 4-year universities in the state of Florida have a special consideration for students that went to community college.
Moreover, some of these community colleges are now offering bachelor’s degrees. And the best part is some of them are still recognized among the top universities in the country and the world, so you have nothing to lose.
Let’s go straight away to list these colleges.
Cheapest Community Colleges in Florida
We sorted these lists in descending order, which means that the most expensive school on our list is listed first then the cheapest is listed last.
17. College of Central Florida
College of Central Florida is one of the top 1% of four-year colleges in the nation for affordability, as ranked by the U.S. Department of Education. They also provide 3 kinds of financial aid which include;
- FAFSA
- Last Mile Scholarship
- Levy Promise Scholarship
| Florida Residents | $112.92 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $438.20 per credit hour |
16. Lake-Sumter State College
Lake-Sumter State College is consistently ranked in the top 150 community colleges nationwide and among the best in the state of Florida. LSSC provides several Associate Degree and bachelor’s degree programs in 10 fields of study.
| Florida Residents | $109.73 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $442.54 per credit hour |
15. Pensacola State College
Pensacola State College is one of the cheapest community colleges in Florida that also provides financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student AID (FAFSA) for students that would want to apply for additional financial help.
| Florida Residents | $104.58 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $419.76 per credit hour |
14. Polk State College
Polk State College is not your regular community college that provides only associate degrees, they also provide Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science degrees. Their learning happens in small class sizes which enables you to learn properly.
| Florida Residents | $112.22 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $409.06 per credit hour |
13. Daytona State College
This is among the most affordable community colleges in Florida for international students that provides more than 100 certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degree programs. The school enrolls more than 23,000 students annually in its seven institutions.
| Florida Residents | $102.38 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $398.65 per credit hour |
12. Pasco-Hernando State College
This is one of the most cost-effective community colleges in Florida that still provides $1.250M worth of scholarships annually. We know it might not be so much, but looking at the tuition fee, we think it’s fair.
| Florida Residents | $105.18 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $396.30 per credit hour |
11. North Florida College
This is another cheap community college in Florida that has several awards and accolades.
Amongst all their recognitions, the one that caught my attention is their “Great College to Work For” Honor, why I love this because when there are happy workers, it reciprocates to happy students. And, the best part is they have won this for 7 consecutive years.
| Florida Residents | $99.80 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $396.30 per credit hour |
10. South Florida State College
Besides the fact that South Florida State College is one of the cheapest community colleges in Florida, 63% of their students receive federal financial aid (Pell Grants) which is worth an average of $5,329. The school also provides a very small student-to-faculty ratio (10:1) which makes them learn properly.
| Florida Residents | $105.42 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $395.21 per credit hour |
9. Florida Gateway College
Florida Gateway College provides different kinds of programs whether it’s one-semester programs or four-year bachelor degrees, they have programs that fulfill the goals of every individual and their life transitions. And, they provide these programs at a very affordable price.
| Florida Residents | $103.32 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $391.57 per credit hour |
8. Indian River State College
Outside the fact that Indian River State College provides one of the most cost-effective tuition, they also provide Out-of-state tuition waiver programs. These programs can dramatically reduce the educational costs for veterans, eligible Florida high school graduates, and eligible international students. The school even goes further to provide financial aid to reduce your fees even more, if you’re found eligible.
| Florida Residents | $117.10 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Resident/International Students | $390.49 per credit hour |
7. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
Whether you intend to earn a career-ready degree or make a smooth transition to a university, this community college has the full college experience at exceptional savings. SCF also offers online classes.
| Florida Residents | $102.48 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $386.52 per credit hour |
6. Seminole State College of Florida
In addition to Seminole State College’s low-cost tuition rate, they also provide quality education, which made them named one of 25 semifinalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The school also provides more than 1,500 scholarships annually.
| Florida Residents | $104.36 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Resident/International Students | $381.86 per credit hour |
5. Hillsborough Community College
Hillsborough Community College is not just a very affordable college, it’s also recognized for quality education and student satisfaction. For instance, 94% of enrolled student survey respondents reported satisfaction with their education at HCC, also 94% of graduate survey respondents would recommend HCC to a friend, etc
| Florida Residents | $104.39 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $379.61 per credit hour |
4. Broward College
Broward College doesn’t only provide very affordable tuition, but they have other financial aid to back it up. You can either choose to take advantage of their grants, scholarships, work-study plan, and even their loans (let loan be your last alternative).
The college also offers degree-seeking programs in 9 fields of study.
| Florida Residents | $117.90 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $373 per credit hour |
3. Palm Beach State College
Palm Beach State College is not just one of the cheapest community colleges in Florida it is also the 5th largest of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. To add to their cheap tuition, they also provide $75 million worth of financial aid and scholarships.
| Florida Residents | $101 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Resident/International Students | $363 per credit hour |
2. Chipola College
Chipola College has been nominated for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence for 7 times in a role. Also, the school provides several degrees and certificates and their most popular degree is the Associate of Arts degree.
They also provide some bachelor of science degree programs.
| Florida Residents | $102 per credit hour |
| Non-Florida Residents/International Students | $296 per credit hour |
1. Gulf Coast State College
Gulf Coast is by far the most affordable community college in Florida, you’ll not see another college that offers $72 per credit hour and $221 per credit hour for Florida residents and Out-of-state residents respectively.
To even make their tuition fee more conducive, you don’t have to pay a dime for accommodation.
| Florida Residents | $72.92 per credit hour |
| Out-of-state Residents | $221.42 per credit hour |
| International students | $359.71 per credit hour |
Conclusion
As we’ll always say, these cheapest community colleges in Florida tuition fees are up-to-date fees for the 2023/2024 academic session but are subject to change. Also, they don’t include some other expenses like accommodation, books, insurance, transportation, etc.
Take advantage of the links we provided to learn more about their fees.
Author’s Recommendation
.
.
.
