Palm Beach State College has the lowest tuition among public four-year colleges and universities in Florida and one of the lowest in the nation, according to new data compiled by the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center.
The news comes on the heels of the board of trustees’ decision in June not to raise tuition and fees for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
“We try to keep our tuition low to make it affordable for young adults to further their education,’’ said David H. Talley, chair of the board of trustees.
The tuition list, based on 2011-12 data from more than 4,000 institutions, shows that Palm Beach State College has the seventh-lowest tuition among public four-year colleges and universities in the nation.
PBSC’s tuition for a full-time student was $2,324 while the national average was $7,135. That’s two notches better than 2011, when the DOE first launched the online center to provide more comprehensive information for parents and students about college costs and to help them make more informed decisions.
The college had the ninth-lowest tuition in the country among public four-year institutions according to the 2011 list, which was based on 2009-10 data.
The DOE created the College Affordability and Transparency Center to comply with requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Among other options, parents and students can search for institutions with the highest and lowest tuitions and highest and lowest net prices, which is the price of attendance minus grants and scholarship assistance.
Serving 49,000 students annually, Palm Beach State College is the largest institution of higher education in Palm Beach County, providing bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, professional certificates, career training and lifelong learning.
Established in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college, it offers more than 100 programs of study at locations in Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and Belle Glade.
