Which Florida paralegal studies program has the lowest debt?

Palm Beach State College reports the lowest median federal debt, $9,000, with first-year pay of $46,622.

How much do paralegal studies graduates earn in Florida?

The median across 6 Florida paralegal studies associate's programs is $40,150 in the first year after graduating and $40,790 five years after.

How many paralegal studies associate's programs are in Florida?

6 Florida programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 6 of them also report federal debt.

Paralegal Studies (Associate's) Programs in Florida, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

6 programs report first-year pay
6 also report federal debt
Associate's in Legal Support Services

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median Florida paralegal studies associate's program pays its graduates $40,150 in their first year, $2,591 more than the national median. Palm Beach State College reports the highest first-year pay ($46,622), and Palm Beach State College the lowest median debt ($9,000).

Median first-year pay$40,150National $37,559

Median pay after 5 years$40,790National $42,723

Median federal debt$20,598National $19,500

Debt-to-earnings51%National 50%

All 6 programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Palm Beach State CollegeLake Worth · public	$46,622	$47,368	$9,000	19%
2	Seminole State College of FloridaSanford · public	$44,783	$50,407	$25,858	58%
3	Miami Dade CollegeMiami · public	$40,782	Not reported	$12,950	32%
4	Hillsborough CollegeTampa · public	$39,517	Not reported	$21,036	53%
5	Keiser UniversityFort Lauderdale · private nonprofit	$37,559	$40,790	$29,234	78%
6	Valencia CollegeOrlando · public	$32,210	$40,513	$16,002	50%

3 more programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida paralegal studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Florida medians.

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 6 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Palm Beach State College$46,622
Seminole State College of Florida$44,783
Miami Dade College$40,782
Hillsborough College$39,517
Keiser University$37,559

Lowest median debt

Palm Beach State College$9,000
Miami Dade College$12,950
Valencia College$16,002
Hillsborough College$21,036
Seminole State College of Florida$25,858

Lowest debt for the pay

"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to paralegal studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

$61,000

Median pay in Florida. 40,950 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,830Top 10%: $83,410

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

$48,510

Median pay in Florida. 10,920 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $34,420Top 10%: $81,340

Interpreters and Translators

$48,930

Median pay in Florida. 4,200 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $34,290Top 10%: $99,590

Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

$58,450

Median pay in Florida. 4,800 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $40,190Top 10%: $79,210

Common questions

Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth reports the highest median first-year pay, $46,622. Its median federal debt is $9,000.

Paralegal Studies (Associate's) programs in the US, ranked57 programs by pay and debt

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.
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.
Medians are across the paralegal studies associate's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024