by our College Data Analytics TeamGulf Coast State College is a public institution in Panama City, Florida enrolling 3,934 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 43%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,880 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 36%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Gulf Coast State College ranks #1,880 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 36%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Gulf Coast State College was awarded 184 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, GCSC is ranked #1,880 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
GCSC also holds the #64 spot on the Best Colleges in Florida ranking.
See all of the rankings for Gulf Coast State College.
Learn more about Gulf Coast State College admissions.
At Gulf Coast State College, the student to faculty ratio is 22 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Gulf Coast State College is 60%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at GCSC for first-time, full-time students is 43%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Gulf Coast State College.
During the most recent academic year, there were 3,934 undergraduates at GCSC.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Gulf Coast State College.
The typical net cost at GCSC is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,915 | $4,369 | $6,483 | $9,806 | $12,071 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of GCSC, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At GCSC, approximately 7% of students took out student loans averaging $6,225 a year. That adds up to $24,900 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 15.4%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for Gulf Coast State College.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Gulf Coast State College make around $38,359 per year during the early years of their employment. Unfortunately, this is 22% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Gulf Coast State College make the most money.
Gulf Coast State College is a public institution located in Panama City, Florida. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Gulf Coast State College.
Contact information for Gulf Coast State College can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 5230 West U.S. Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401 |
| Phone: | 8507691551 |
| Website: | www.gulfcoast.edu/default.htm |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 15 majors graduated from Gulf Coast State College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,161 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 475 | $22,941 |
| Nursing | 169 | $56,545 |
| Allied Health Professions | 164 | $38,444 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 76 | $37,144 |
| Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 42 | $31,385 |
| Fire Protection | 41 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 34 | NA |
| Information Technology | 33 | NA |
| Dental Support Services | 29 | NA |
3,171 students took at least one online class at Gulf Coast State College.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Gulf Coast State College.
Interested in comparing GCSC? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.