Public · Community college
Santa Fe College
Gainesville, Florida · Midsize suburb
- 19%
- Transfer rate
- $11,098
- Avg net price
- 53%
- Grad / completion
- $41,631
- Median earnings
Santa Fe College is a public associate-granting institution in Gainesville, Florida (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 11,122 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. There is archeological evidence, from about 12,000 years ago, of the presence of Paleo-Indians in the Gainesville area, although it is not known if there were any permanent settlements. Gainesville is known for its support of the visual arts. Each year, two large art festivals attract artists and visitors from all over the southeastern United States. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 7 miles to Gainesville, FL
- To the ocean
- 41 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Gainesville (GNV)
How Santa Fe College compares
Higher than 40% · #150 of 211 in Florida
Higher than 75% · #26 of 171 in Florida
Cheaper than 66% · #61 cheapest of 207 in Florida
Lower than 34%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 97%
Percentiles compare Santa Fe 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
- Women6,32357%
- Men4,79943%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White50%
- Black12%
- Hispanic23%
- Asian3.9%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 11,122
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 42%
- Students over 25
- 22%
- Median family income
- $25,000
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $61,389
- Endowment
- $37,620,846
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 2,834 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Florida93%
- Other U.S. states1.8%
- International5.4%
Most first-years stay in state — Santa Fe College draws overwhelmingly from Florida.
5% 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.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $2,563
- Out-of-state tuition
- $9,189
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $783
- Total cost of attendance
- $14,165
- Average net price
- $11,098
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
- 53%
- First-year retention
- —
- Transferred to another college
- 19%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,919
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,631
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,310
- Students with federal loans
- 11%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 29%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 88 (39 men · 49 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 (4)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 7 campuses (12,758 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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 9% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $748. 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 1,634 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)
- $41,631
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,310
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 27%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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 $7,324 (19%) 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
- 43°F
- Annual rain
- 48.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Gainesville 11 Wnw, FL US station (3.7 mi from campus).
What Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Santa Fe College side by side →
Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, Florida · Small city · 15 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 12,864
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $42k
Polk State College
Winter Haven, Florida · Small city · 40 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 7,180
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $41k
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, Florida · Large suburb · 7 mi to West Palm Beach
- Students
- 21,956
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $42k
Florida SouthWestern State College
Fort Myers, Florida · Large suburb · 6 mi to Fort Myers
- Students
- 11,052
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 20%
- Earnings
- $43k
Tallahassee State College
Tallahassee, Florida · Midsize city · 3 mi to Tallahassee
- Students
- 11,053
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 33%
- Earnings
- $38k
College of Central Florida
Ocala, Florida · Small city · 35 mi to Gainesville
- Students
- 5,033
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $38k
Colleges near Santa Fe College
Summit Salon Academy-Gainesville
Gainesville, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 83 students
Galen Health Institutes-Gainesville
Gainesville, FL · Private for-profit · Associate · 668 students
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public · Bachelor's · 35,629 students
Academy for Five Element Acupuncture
Gainesville, FL · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Florida School of Traditional Midwifery
Gainesville, FL · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 54 students
Florida School of Massage
Gainesville, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 25 students
North Florida Technical College
Starke, FL · Public · Certificate · 84 students
Florida Gateway College
Lake City, FL · Public · Certificate · 2,301 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.