Tampa Bay's transfer pipeline
with a low price tag in Florida
You're deciding whether to spend two years at St Petersburg College before finishing a bachelor's at a Florida public university. That decision turns on real numbers: what the transfer-out rate looks like, what you'll owe when you leave, and what earnings look like a decade out.
23,936 undergrads, 23% transfer out and 40% complete by year 8, median $43k 10-yr earnings, $16,868 median debt.
A big Tampa Bay CC with strong completion signal, low debt, and a real transfer pipeline
St Petersburg College enrolls 23,936 undergraduates across the Tampa Bay region, with 69% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 23% and the eight-year completion rate is 40% — a combined outcome signal that runs ahead of most Florida CCs. Liberal Arts and Sciences tops the program mix at 2,367 completions, with Registered Nursing at 396 and Cybersecurity at 374. In-state tuition is $1,943 with a $1,471 net price, median earnings 10 years out are $42,557, and median borrower debt is $16,868 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. A credible, low-cost launchpad for a Florida bachelor's.
St Petersburg College enrolls 23,936 undergraduates in the Tampa Bay region, with 69% attending part-time — a workforce-facing student body that shapes every timeline in the packet. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 23% and the completion rate is 40%, a stronger combined outcome than most Florida CCs post. Liberal Arts and Sciences dominates the program mix at 2,367 completions; Registered Nursing follows at 396 and Cybersecurity at 374, giving the college a rare mix of transfer-prep and career-credential scale. In-state tuition is $1,943 with a $1,471 net price — among the lowest sticker prices in Florida. Median earnings ten years out are $42,557, and median borrower debt is $16,868 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. For a Tampa Bay-area student weighing the transfer path, SPC is a credible, low-cost launchpad.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 2,367 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 396 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance. | 374 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other. | 182 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 176 |
| Health Services Administration. | 88 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant. | 81 |
| Information Technology. | 78 |
| Criminal Justice/Police Science. | 78 |
| Information Technology Project Management. | 77 |
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 St Petersburg College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The numbers make a strong case. St Petersburg College's eight-year transfer-out rate is 23% and its eight-year completion rate is 40% — a combined outcome signal that runs ahead of many Florida community colleges. In-state tuition is $1,943 with a $1,471 net price, which keeps the first two years of a bachelor's cheaper here than at almost any alternative in the state. Median borrower debt is $16,868 with a 0% three-year loan default rate, and median earnings ten years after enrollment are $42,557. That combination — a functional transfer pipeline, a high completion rate, and one of the lowest net prices in Florida — makes SPC a credible starting point for a bachelor's, especially for students who can map their credits to a specific Florida public university early.
- How does St Petersburg College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- SPC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%. National research places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so SPC sits at the top of that band. The 69% part-time attendance rate is the relevant context: part-time students consistently transfer at lower rates nationally because work and family obligations stretch timelines. An additional 1.7% of SPC students were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 40% had completed a credential at SPC itself — an unusually strong completion figure for a CC of this scale. Taken together, the data suggests SPC functions as a real transfer pipeline for students who stay on track, and the high completion rate means students who don't transfer still tend to finish with a credential.
- What programs does St Petersburg College teach at meaningful scale?
- SPC's largest program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 2,367 — the standard transfer-prep track, and the single biggest feeder into Florida public university pathways. After that the mix tilts toward workforce credentials at scale: Registered Nursing (396), Computer and Information Systems Security (374), two Business Administration programs (182 and 176 completions), Health Services Administration (88), Veterinary Technology (81), Information Technology (78), Criminal Justice (78), and Information Technology Project Management (77). That breadth is unusual for a Florida CC — students aiming at a four-year transfer have a clear Liberal Arts lane, and students pursuing direct-to-work credentials in nursing, cyber, IT, or health administration have real program infrastructure alongside the academic track.
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.