Private for-profit · Community college
Meridian College
Sarasota, Florida · Small city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $29,812
- Avg net price
- 51%
- Grad / completion
- $33,735
- Median earnings
Meridian College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Sarasota, Florida (small city setting), enrolling 163 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. Around 1883 to 1885, The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh bought 60,000 acres (240 km2) for development in what is now Sarasota. Many Scottish people began to arrive in Sarasota in December 1885. Sarasota is home to Mote Marine Laboratory, a marine rescue, research facility, an aquarium, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 7 miles to Sarasota, FL
- To the ocean
- 9 miles
- Nearest airport
- 8 miles to Sarasota Bradenton (SRQ) · major hub
How Meridian College compares
Higher than 38% · #159 of 211 in Florida
Higher than 11%
Higher than 45% · #88 of 171 in Florida
Cheaper than 8% · #180 cheapest of 207 in Florida
Lower than 22%
Lower than 56%
Larger than 39%
Percentiles compare Meridian College 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
- Women15595%
- Men85%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White51%
- Black24%
- Hispanic21%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial3.1%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 163
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 54%
- First-generation students
- 54%
- Students over 25
- 47%
- Median family income
- $16,256
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $34,317
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $29,812
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 51%
- First-year retention
- 50%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,705
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,735
- Median debt at graduation
- $13,000
- Students with federal loans
- 52%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 23%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $25
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
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.
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?
Meridian College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $33,735
- Typical debt at graduation
- $13,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 39%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 28%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $1,349 (4%) 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
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 52°F
- Annual rain
- 56.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bradenton 5 Ese, FL US station (6.5 mi from campus).
What Meridian College graduates study — and earn
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 Meridian College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Meridian College side by side →
ATA Career Education
Spring Hill, Florida · Midsize suburb · 36 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 201
- Tuition
- $15k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $35k
Concorde Career Institute-Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida · Large city · 8 mi to Jacksonville
- Students
- 225
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $34k
Concorde Career Institute-Tampa
Tampa, Florida · Large city · 4 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 158
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $36k
Concorde Career Institute-Miramar
Miramar, Florida · Large suburb · 16 mi to Miami
- Students
- 108
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
Concorde Career Institute-Orlando
Orlando, Florida · Large city · 3 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 95
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $34k
Paul Mitchell the School-Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida · Large city · 9 mi to Jacksonville
- Students
- 118
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near Meridian College
Arizona College of Nursing-Sarasota
University Park, FL · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 133 students
Galen Health Institutes-Sarasota
Sarasota, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 574 students
Sarasota School of Massage Therapy
Sarasota, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 82 students
Manatee Technical College
Bradenton, FL · Public · Certificate · 1,486 students
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,662 students
Suncoast Technical College
Sarasota, FL · Public · Certificate · 1,116 students
New College of Florida
Sarasota, FL · Public · Bachelor's · 843 students
Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine
Bradenton, FL · Private nonprofit · Graduate
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.