Private nonprofit · University
Palm Beach Atlantic University
West Palm Beach, Florida · Midsize city
- 82.0%
- Admit rate
- $28,354
- Avg net price
- 55%
- Graduation rate
- $49,232
- Median earnings
Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in West Palm Beach, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,603 undergraduates. It has a Interdenominational religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Palm Beach Atlantic University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 82.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 950–1220
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.10
Enter a test score to see where you land against Palm Beach Atlantic University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Palm Beach Atlantic University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The beginning of the historic period in south Florida is marked by Juan Ponce de León's first contact with native people in 1513. The permanent collection features 19th and 20th century European and American art, Chinese, contemporary art and photography. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to West Palm Beach, FL
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to President Donald J. Trump (PBI) · major hub
How Palm Beach Atlantic University compares
More selective than 41% · #40 most selective of 49 in Florida
Higher than 21%
Higher than 51% · #31 of 62 in Florida
Higher than 26%
Higher than 36% · #27 of 60 in Florida
Cheaper than 20% · #41 cheapest of 62 in Florida
Lower than 56%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 65%
Percentiles compare Palm Beach Atlantic University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,60376%
- Graduate83524%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,76668%
- Men83732%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White58%
- Black8.6%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian1.9%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,603
- Graduate enrollment
- 835
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23%
- First-generation students
- 22%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $52,818
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $83,385
- Endowment
- $109,770,462
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 680 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Florida46%
- Other U.S. states50%
- International3.5%
A regional draw: about 46% of first-years come from Florida, the rest from elsewhere.
4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 82.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 950–1220
- SAT average
- 1075
- SAT reading
- 500–620
- SAT math
- 450–600
- ACT composite
- 18–26
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.10
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $40,650
- Room & board
- $13,800
- Books & supplies
- $1,186
- Total cost of attendance
- $53,827
- Average net price
- $28,354
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 (within 6 years)
- 55%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 47%
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,366
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,232
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Students with federal loans
- 37%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 52%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,456
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 56%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,040
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,570
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 399 (196 men · 203 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 12
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,147 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$25,619/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
Palm Beach Atlantic University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,575. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
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 697 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)
- $49,232
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 46%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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 $9,500 (20%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 58°F
- Annual rain
- 61.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, West Palm Beach Intl AP, FL US station (3.2 mi from campus).
What Palm Beach Atlantic University 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 Palm Beach Atlantic University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Palm Beach Atlantic University side by side →
Flagler College
Saint Augustine, Florida · Small suburb · 37 mi to Jacksonville
- Students
- 2,391
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1084
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $49k
Webster University
Saint Louis, Missouri · Large suburb · 8 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 2,304
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1102
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $51k
University of Mount Union
Alliance, Ohio · Fringe town · 25 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,995
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $53k
Rivier University
Nashua, New Hampshire · Small city · 18 mi to Manchester
- Students
- 1,231
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Lasell University
Newton, Massachusetts · Small city · 10 mi to Boston
- Students
- 1,226
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $50k
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 3 mi to Honolulu
- Students
- 1,672
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1060
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Palm Beach Atlantic University
HCI College
West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 166 students
Southeastern College-Boynton Beach
Boynton Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 563 students
Empire Beauty School-West Palm
West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 96 students
The Beauty Institute
West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 18 students
Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers-West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 239 students
Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations
West Palm Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Associate · 558 students
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL · Public · Associate · 21,956 students
Latin Beauty Academy
greenacres, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 283 students
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.













