SR Education Group: Pensacola State among 2019 best online community colleges

MILTON — Pensacola State College is among 18 schools the SR Education Group has selected as the 2019 best online community colleges in Florida.

PSC, ranked number 17 on the list, has an annual tuition of $3,626; accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; offers five online associate degrees; and has campuses or centers in Pensacola, Milton, Gulf Breeze and Century. It was founded in 1948 and offers both online associate degrees and certificate programs.

PSC students can pursue an Associate of Arts in Business or General Studies, as well as an Associate of Science in Criminal Justice Technology, Accounting Technology, and Business Administration. For online certificates, the options cover a variety of areas, including Business Management, Human Resource Administrator and Project Management. Online courses are available with both proctored and non-proctored requirements, and each student has virtual access to support and library services.

"Florida is a great place to earn an associate degree or certificate online, as the state is home to 18 community colleges with fully-online programs. Many of these schools also offer online bachelor's degrees, allowing students who've earned an associate degree to seamlessly continue their education," an SR Education Group media release stated.

"All but one of the schools on this list have annual tuitions under $5,000, and eight … have tuitions under $3,000. For just $2,393 per year, students there can earn one of 17 online associate degrees, such as an A.A. in General Education, an A.S. in Health Information Technology, and an A.S. in Supply Chain Management," the release stated.

Each college was ranked by several important factors, including retention rate, graduation rate, percentage of online enrollment data, and the number of online associate degrees offered. The SREG also provided a manually researched and verified tuition based on the college's website.

The 18 schools are ranked as follows, along with their tuition and location information.

1. Florida State College at Jacksonville; $7,795; Jacksonville.

2. Seminole State College of Florida; $2,393; Sanford and three others.

3. Florida Gateway College; $3,099; Lake City.

4. St. Petersburg College; $3,352; Clearwater.

5. Eastern Florida State College; $3,120; Cocoa.

6. Daytona State College; $2,376; Daytona Beach and DeLand.

7. St. Johns River State College; $2,365; Palatka and two others.

8. Valencia College; $4,946; Orlando and two others.

9. College of Central Florida; $2,570; Ocala and two others.

10. Gulf Coast State College; $2,637; Panama City.

11. Pasco-Hernando State College; $3,155; New Port Richey.

12. Indian River State College; $3,513; Fort Pierce and four others.

13. Broward College; $3,687; Fort Lauderdale.

14. Florida SouthWestern State College $2,436 Fort Myers and three others.

15. Tallahassee Community College $3,024 Tallahassee.

16. Miami Dade College $2,483; Miami and Doral.

17. Pensacola State College $3,626; Pensacola, Milton, Gulf Breeze and Century campuses or centers.

18. Florida Keys Community College; $2,483; Key West.

See https://bit.ly/2Ft8Dix for more information about each school on the list.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SR Education Group: Pensacola State among 2019 best online community colleges