Private for-profit · Community college

Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie

Port Saint Lucie, Florida · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate: $24,615
Avg net price: 53%
Grad / completion: $32,886
Median earnings

Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Port Saint Lucie, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 546 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 546 undergradsMidsize cityMild wintersNear the coast

About Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The name "St. Lucie" is originally derived from the name of a settlement near Jupiter Inlet, which was founded on St. Lucia's Day in 1566. Part of the James Bond film Moonraker was shot in Port St. Lucie, on the St. Lucie River. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 43 miles to West Palm Beach, FL
To the ocean: 3 miles
Nearest airport: 25 miles to Vero Beach (VRB)

How Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie compares

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 40% · #152 of 211 in Florida

First-year retention48%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$32,886

Higher than 42% · #93 of 171 in Florida

Average net price$24,615

Cheaper than 19% · #145 cheapest of 207 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$12,346

Lower than 26%

Student–faculty ratio26 : 1

Lower than 9%

Undergraduate enrollment546

Larger than 64%

Percentiles compare Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women42077%
Men12623%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White18%
Black55%
Hispanic17%
Asian1.1%
Other or multiracial9.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 546
Student–faculty ratio: 26 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 77%
First-generation students: 55%
Students over 25: 61%
Median family income: $16,204
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $55,638

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $14,839
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,215
Total cost of attendance: $31,929
Average net price: $24,615

Outcomes

Graduated: 53%
First-year retention: 48%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $34,430
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $32,886
Median debt at graduation: $12,346
Students with federal loans: 80%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 28%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

53%

Low-income (Pell)

60%

First-generation

60%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$24,303

$30–48k

$24,318

$48–75k

$24,534

$75–110k

$29,970

$110k+

—

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

48%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$252

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 48% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $252. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 50 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $32,886
Typical debt at graduation: $12,346
Debt vs. one year's pay: 38%
Out-earn a HS grad: 33%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$31,068

Men

$44,800

Men out-earn women by $13,732 (44%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 89°F
Winter low: 57°F
Annual rain: 58.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Nettles IS, FL US station (5.1 mi from campus).

What Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie graduates study — and earn

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

59 grads$66k 1 yr$78k 5 yr$35k debt

59$66,276$78,102$34,966 Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

42 grads$26k 1 yr$31k 5 yr$10k debt

42$25,556$31,185$9,500 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

27 grads$46k 1 yr$52k 5 yr$25k debt

27$45,996$51,539$24,708 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

25 grads$36k 1 yr$43k 5 yr$13k debt

25$36,485$42,934$13,000 Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

18 grads$32k 1 yr$34k 5 yr$13k debt

18$31,554$34,425$12,994

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie side by side →

Fortis College-Cutler Bay

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Tuition: $14k
Transfer: 0%
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Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $36k

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Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $29k

Gwinnett Institute

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Students: 340
Tuition: —
Transfer: —
Earnings: $34k

Aveda Institute-South Florida

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Students: 923
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $29k

College of Business and Technology

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Miami, Florida · Large suburb · 9 mi to Miami

Students: 508
Tuition: $14k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $30k

Colleges near Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie

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Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.