Starting out
in Lake Worth, Florida
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Palm Beach State College before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in Florida. That choice comes down to real numbers: what transfer looks like here, what students earn afterward, and what it actually costs you.
~26,000 undergrads, 22% transfer out by year 8, median $42k 10-yr earnings, $7,081 median debt.
A large, affordable Lake Worth CC with solid transfer-out momentum
Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 26,000 undergrads in Lake Worth, Florida — 68% part-time — and transfers 22% of students to a four-year institution within eight years. Median earnings land at $42k ten years out, and median debt is a low $7,081. Liberal Arts alone produced 2,802 completions, and Registered Nursing added 348 more. In-state tuition is $3,030 and net price is $9,182, with a 0% three-year loan default rate. For a cost-conscious Florida student with transfer intentions, the fundamentals are sound.
Palm Beach State College is a large community college in Lake Worth, Florida, enrolling nearly 26,000 undergraduates — though 68% attend part-time, meaning most students here are juggling work or family obligations alongside coursework. The college's top program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 2,802 graduates, a high-volume transfer-prep pathway. Registered Nursing added 348 completions and Business Administration 230 more. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 22%, a reasonable signal that students do move on to four-year institutions, not just stall out. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $42k, median debt is $7,081, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition runs $3,030 annually; the average net price is $9,182. For a Florida student weighing a cost-effective on-ramp to a bachelor's degree, Palm Beach State's numbers give a credible case.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 2,802 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 348 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other. | 230 |
| Fire Science/Fire-fighting. | 218 |
| Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic). | 199 |
| Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist. | 129 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other. | 114 |
| Real Estate. | 95 |
| Criminal Justice/Police Science. | 86 |
| Information Technology Project Management. | 79 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where Florida transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Palm Beach State College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data makes a reasonable case. Twenty-two percent of students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — a functional result given that 68% attend part-time. In-state tuition is $3,030 and the average net price is $9,182, which is manageable compared to most four-year options. Median debt for borrowers is $7,081, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Median earnings ten years out sit at $42k. The combination of modest cost, a real transfer-out rate, and clean debt metrics makes Palm Beach State a defensible starting point — provided you arrive with a clear transfer target and a plan to stay on track.
- How does Palm Beach State College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- Palm Beach State's eight-year transfer-out rate is 22%. National research typically places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so PBSC sits squarely within — and toward the upper end of — that benchmark. The 22% figure is measured over eight years, and with 68% of students attending part-time, that timeline is often longer than students expect. An additional 1.7% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark. The 40% eight-year completion rate (credentials earned at PBSC itself) shows the college does produce outcomes — many students complete certificates or associate degrees here rather than transferring. Together, these numbers suggest the college functions as a real pipeline, not simply an enrollment holding pattern.
- What programs does Palm Beach State College offer at meaningful scale?
- Palm Beach State's highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (2,802), Registered Nursing (348), Business Administration (230), Fire Science (218), and Emergency Medical Technology/EMT Paramedic (199). Mental and Social Health Services produced 114 completions, Real Estate 95, Criminal Justice 86, and Information Technology Project Management 79. Liberal Arts dominates by a wide margin — it's the clear transfer-prep engine here. The health-related programs (Nursing, EMT, Mental Health) collectively represent a large slice of completions, which matters if your goal is to transfer into a health sciences bachelor's program. The breadth across liberal arts, health, and public safety means advising resources in those lanes are genuinely developed.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.