Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 4.0Florida Institute of Technology is 8.1 miles from Palm Bay
No college sits inside Palm Bay’s boundary, but Florida Institute of Technology’s campus in Melbourne, with 4,971 students on campus, is 8.1 miles from the center of town, and Valencia College is 62.4 miles away in Orlando. About 6% of Palm Bay’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Palm Bay. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Palm Bay
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Palm Bay
One private college within 8.1 miles, and one public college within 14.9 miles.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Palm Bay’s median household income ($72,614) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Palm Bay: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Florida Institute of Technology (2).
Questions about college near Palm Bay
Is Palm Bay a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Palm Bay residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Florida (6). The nearest campus, Florida Institute of Technology, is 8.1 miles away in Melbourne.
What colleges are near Palm Bay?
Within 15 miles: Florida Institute of Technology (8.1 miles, 4,971 students on campus) and Eastern Florida State College (14.9 miles, 9,038).
What is the closest community college to Palm Bay, and what does it cost?
Valencia College in Orlando, 62.4 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,664 a year for Florida residents; the federal net price, $12,037, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Eastern Florida State College cost if we live in Florida?
Tuition and fees are $2,496 a year in-state and $9,739 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $4,858 (under $30,000 income) to $11,623 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Palm Bay. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →