2026 Best Value Fire Protection Schools in Florida
[Fire Protection](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/fire-protection/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 37 schools to find the best return on investment for fire protection students.
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2026 Best Value Fire Protection Schools in Florida
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in fire protection, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Fire Protection Schools
St Petersburg College earned the #1 spot for value among fire protection schools in Florida. St Petersburg College is a very large public school located in the city of St. Petersburg. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,682, while out-of-state students pay about $9,286. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $9,557 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of St Petersburg College earn a median of $55,829 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $9,557 median debt.
Florida State College At Jacksonville is a great value for students pursuing a degree in fire protection, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Jacksonville, Florida State College At Jacksonville is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,657 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,631. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $19,139 in student loans. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Florida State College At Jacksonville generally make around $49,810. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Gulf Coast State College came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value fire protection schools. Located in the city of Panama City, Gulf Coast State College is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $2,370 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $8,635. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $8,286. Fire Protection graduates of Gulf Coast State College earn a median of $49,086 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $8,286 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in fire protection will find it at Florida Gateway College, which ranked #4. Located in the town of Lake City, Florida Gateway College is a mid-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,100, compared with $11,747 for out-of-state students. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $8,669 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of Florida Gateway College earn a median of $41,947 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Seminole State College Of Florida is a great value for students pursuing a degree in fire protection, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Sanford, Seminole State College Of Florida is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $3,122 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $11,447. Students borrow a median of $18,419 to complete the fire protection program here. Fire Protection graduates of Seminole State College Of Florida earn a median of $48,049 early in their careers. Set against $18,419 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
University Of Florida Online ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value fire protection schools. Located in the city of Gainesville, University Of Florida Online is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $3,876, with out-of-state students paying around $16,579. Students borrow a median of $12,296 to complete the fire protection program here. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from University Of Florida Online generally make around $86,740. Set against $12,296 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Florida Online admits about 61% of applicants.
Hillsborough Community College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value fire protection schools. Set in the city of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,491, compared with $9,088 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $14,735. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $50,331. That is a strong return on a $14,735 median debt.
Indian River State College landed the #8 spot for fire protection value this year. Located in the suburb of Fort Pierce, Indian River State College is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,764, compared with $10,201 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $5,500 to complete the fire protection program here. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $47,206. Set against $5,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
University Of Florida came in at #9 for value in fire protection this year. Located in the city of Gainesville, University Of Florida is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,381, while out-of-state students pay about $28,659. Students borrow a median of $12,296 to complete the fire protection program here. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from University Of Florida generally make around $86,740. Set against $12,296 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 24% of applicants are accepted.
Northwest Florida State College earned the #10 position for value in fire protection this year. Located in the suburb of Niceville, Northwest Florida State College is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,583, while out-of-state students pay about $10,612. Students borrow a median of $11,566 to complete the fire protection program here. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Northwest Florida State College generally make around $52,856. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Pasco Hernando Community College earned the #11 position for value in fire protection this year. Set in the suburb of New Port Richey, Pasco Hernando Community College is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $3,155, while out-of-state students pay about $12,032. Students borrow a median of $14,908 to complete the fire protection program here. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $53,856. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Miami Dade College landed the #12 spot for fire protection value this year. Miami Dade College is a very large public school located in the city of Miami. In-state tuition and fees average $2,838, compared with $9,661 for out-of-state students. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $11,967 in student loans. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $40,267. Set against $11,967 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Eastern Florida State College landed the #13 spot for fire protection value this year. Located in the city of Melbourne, Eastern Florida State College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,791, with out-of-state students paying around $10,976. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $18,123. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Eastern Florida State College generally make around $44,690. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Daytona State College landed the #14 spot for fire protection value this year. Daytona State College is a large public school located in the city of Daytona Beach. In-state tuition and fees average $3,106, while out-of-state students pay about $11,994. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $6,945 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of Daytona State College earn a median of $42,696 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $6,945 median debt.
Edison State College placed #15 among the best values for fire protection. Located in the suburb of Fort Myers, Edison State College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,401, with out-of-state students paying around $12,979. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $13,356. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $52,597. That is a strong return on a $13,356 median debt.
Tallahassee Community College ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best value fire protection schools. Tallahassee Community College is a large public school located in the city of Tallahassee. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,026, while out-of-state students pay about $8,062. Students borrow a median of $16,340 to complete the fire protection program here. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Tallahassee Community College generally make around $40,594. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Marion Technical College Ocala landed the #17 spot for fire protection value this year. Marion Technical College Ocala is a small public school located in the city of Ocala. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $8,750. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Marion Technical College Ocala generally make around $37,678. Set against $8,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Manatee Technical College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best value fire protection schools. Set in the suburb of Bradenton, Manatee Technical College is a small public institution. Typical student debt for fire protection graduates is $9,726. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Manatee Technical College generally make around $38,735. Set against $9,726 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Palm Beach State College came in at #19 for value in fire protection this year. Palm Beach State College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Lake Worth. Students from in state pay about $3,050 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $10,910. Students borrow a median of $18,971 to complete the fire protection program here. Early-career fire protection graduates make about $46,698. That is a strong return on a $18,971 median debt.
Valencia College placed #20 among the best values for fire protection. Set in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,664 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,576. Fire Protection graduates carry a median of $8,000 in student loans. Fire Protection graduates of Valencia College earn a median of $45,657 early in their careers. Set against $8,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
William T Mcfatter Technical College landed the #21 spot for fire protection value this year. Set in the suburb of Davie, William T Mcfatter Technical College is a small public institution. Students borrow a median of $9,500 to complete the fire protection program here. Fire Protection graduates of William T Mcfatter Technical College earn a median of $28,512 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $9,500 median debt.
First Coast Technical College earned the #22 position for value in fire protection this year. First Coast Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Saint Augustine. Median earnings reach $33,784 ten years out.
George Stone Technical Center placed #23 among the best values for fire protection. George Stone Technical Center is a small public school located in the suburb of Pensacola. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from George Stone Technical Center generally make around $39,560.
Charlotte Technical College placed #24 among the best values for fire protection. Charlotte Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Port Charlotte. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,110, compared with $12,110 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $9,875 to complete the fire protection program here. Fire Protection graduates of Charlotte Technical College earn a median of $36,503 early in their careers. Set against $9,875 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Fort Myers Technical College came in at #25 for value in fire protection this year. Located in the city of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Technical College is a small public university. Soon after graduation, fire protection degree recipients from Fort Myers Technical College generally make around $47,397.
Rest of the Top 29 Best Value Fire Protection Schools
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s fire protection value ranking:
More Fire Protection Rankings
View All Fire Protection Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 37 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
