Which Palm Beach State College certificate program has the lowest debt?

Cosmetology graduates leave with a median of $9,500 in federal loans, the lowest among 7 Palm Beach State College certificate programs that report debt.

How much does Palm Beach State College cost?

In-state tuition and fees are $3,050 a year, and $10,910 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $9,182 a year.

How many Palm Beach State College programs report graduate pay?

3 bachelor's programs, 10 associate's programs, and 13 certificate programs at Palm Beach State College report first-year pay, and 17 of them also report federal debt.

Palm Beach State College Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

Public college
Lake Worth, FL
21,956 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

13 Palm Beach State College certificate programs report what graduates earn. Criminal Justice pays the most in the first year ($69,415), and Massage Therapy the least ($24,097). The median program pays $36,887. Palm Beach State College also has 3 bachelor's programs and 10 associate's programs that report pay.

In-state tuition and fees$3,050Per year. Out-of-state $10,910

Average net price after aid$9,182Per year

Graduation rate41%Within 6 years

All 3 bachelor's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Florida" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across Florida. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Florida
1	NursingAbout 119 graduates a year	$78,572	Not reported	$16,829	14th of 44
2	Information TechnologyAbout 55 graduates a year	$51,368	$76,787	$13,189	6th of 8
3	Business AdministrationAbout 251 graduates a year	$43,450	$53,399	$15,322	30th of 51

Program names link to the program's own page, and Florida ranks link to the full ranking for the field.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

All 10 associate's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Florida" compares first-year pay with the same field's associate's programs across Florida. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Florida
1	NursingAbout 228 graduates a year	$67,495	$76,092	$14,837	12th of 47
2	Dental Hygiene and AssistingAbout 14 graduates a year	$63,723	$73,447	Not reported	1st of 12
3	Diagnostic and Treatment ProfessionsAbout 73 graduates a year	$56,594	$65,419	$15,153	12th of 32
4	Paralegal StudiesAbout 17 graduates a year	$46,622	$47,368	$9,000	1st of 6
5	Information TechnologyAbout 26 graduates a year	$38,149	Not reported	$9,000	5th of 5
6	Design and Applied ArtsAbout 26 graduates a year	$36,768	Not reported	Not reported	1st of 5
7	Mental Health and Addiction ServicesAbout 25 graduates a year	$32,260	Not reported	$15,505	2nd of 2
8	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 2,632 graduates a year	$29,805	$43,120	$8,125	6th of 32
9	Teacher EducationAbout 28 graduates a year	$28,641	$39,971	$6,725	1st of 2
10	Film and PhotographyAbout 13 graduates a year	$21,002	Not reported	Not reported	3rd of 4

Program names link to the program's own page, and Florida ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five Florida programs in the field do too.

All 13 certificate programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Florida" compares first-year pay with the same field's certificate programs across Florida. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Florida
1	Criminal JusticeAbout 83 graduates a year	$69,415	$79,900	$16,000	1st of 20
2	Diagnostic and Treatment ProfessionsAbout 233 graduates a year	$49,359	$61,067	$12,500	7th of 23
3	Fire ScienceAbout 32 graduates a year	$46,698	$68,973	$18,971	6th of 10
4	Practical NursingAbout 57 graduates a year	$44,422	$50,948	$9,834	11th of 43
5	HVACGraduates a year not reported	$42,882	$48,648	Not reported	3rd of 18
6	Welding and MachiningAbout 21 graduates a year	$41,518	$50,639	Not reported	3rd of 16
7	Electrician TrainingAbout 10 graduates a year	$36,887	Not reported	Not reported	3rd of 8
8	Vehicle Maintenance and RepairAbout 71 graduates a year	$35,687	$45,108	Not reported	8th of 28
9	Allied Health and Medical AssistingAbout 7 graduates a year	$33,935	Not reported	Not reported	3rd of 40
10	Real EstateAbout 58 graduates a year	$32,983	Not reported	$17,349	2nd of 2
11	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 35 graduates a year	$28,328	$28,464	$11,984	1st of 2
12	CosmetologyAbout 251 graduates a year	$24,361	$35,090	$9,500	2nd of 64
13	Massage TherapyAbout 15 graduates a year	$24,097	$33,110	Not reported	4th of 28

One more certificate program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.

Quick picks: certificate programs

Highest first-year pay

Criminal Justice$69,415
Diagnostic and Treatment Professions$49,359
Fire Science$46,698
Practical Nursing$44,422
HVAC$42,882

Lowest median debt

Cosmetology$9,500
Practical Nursing$9,834
Human Development and Family Studies$11,984
Diagnostic and Treatment Professions$12,500
Criminal Justice$16,000

Largest programs

CosmetologyAbout 251 graduates a year
Diagnostic and Treatment ProfessionsAbout 233 graduates a year
Criminal JusticeAbout 83 graduates a year
Vehicle Maintenance and RepairAbout 71 graduates a year
Real EstateAbout 58 graduates a year

Common questions

Criminal Justice graduates earn a median of $69,415 in their first year, the most of 13 Palm Beach State College certificate programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Florida rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels