Saint Peter's College

St. Petersburg College's mission is to promote student success and enrich our communities through education, career development and self-discovery.

St. Petersburg College alumni rank 1st in the state of Florida for possessing the most valuable job skills. Founded in 1927, SPC is Florida's first two-year college and the first to offer bachelor’s degrees. We offer more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including many high-demand, high-skill industry-recognized workforce certifications and more than 20 bachelor's degrees. Our career-focused curriculum is created with input from industry experts to give graduates the skills they need to meet the needs of today’s employers. Our new Pathways Program gives students a clear roadmap to success to ensure students take the right courses - in the right sequence - to meet their goals. And with tuition at about half the cost of state universities, students at SPC spend less to earn more.

The mission of St. Petersburg College is to empower our students and community to achieve success and economic mobility through academic excellence and engagement.

All St. Petersburg College courses cost less per credit hour than those at a public university or private college. As a result, your scholarships and hard-earned dollars go further at SPC.

St. Petersburg College offers free tutoring to all students. We also offer online support, campus learning centers and small group workshops so you get the academic support you need.

Our graduates rank first in the state for earning the highest entry wages in Florida. With degree programs tailored to meet the needs of local industries, you'll be job ready at graduation. In fact, more than 90 percent of our graduates find jobs in the field, are continuing their education or serving in the military.

Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Collegesassures your credits from SPC transfer to any other regionally accredited college or university. Associate in Arts degrees assure your admission as a junior to one of the state's 12 public universities.

St. Petersburg College offers academic opportunities where you will immerse yourself in learning beyond textbooks. Our innovative faculty provides applied and simulated learning inside and outside of the classroom.

Our nationally recognized, award-winning eCampus program offers hundreds of online college courses in dozens of majors - plus online student support services at your fingertips.

St. Petersburg College wants to help you finish your degree. We offer ways to earn up to 45 college credits for your mastery of subjects, experience, military training, previous education or industry certification.

Actively engaged advisory committee members from top employers and agencies ensure SPC's programs are effective in meeting professional and employment needs of our students and employers.

In the 1920s, people in St. Petersburg began to talk about the need for an institution of higher learning to provide job skills training to local residents of modest means. At the time, higher education only was available to those who could afford to travel to distant cities and stay there long enough to complete their studies.

So in September 1927, with the backing of local business and political leaders, Florida's first two-year institution of higher learning, St. Petersburg Junior College, opened in an unused wing of the then-new St. Petersburg High School. Enrollment: 102, taught by a faculty of 14. The first college president was George Lynch who served also as Superintendent of Public Instruction, St. Petersburg Public Schools.

There were 48 members of the first graduating class in 1929. More than half received state teaching certificates. At the time, the need for certified teachers in Pinellas County was great and growing and a two-year college diploma was all that was needed for certification.

In 1931, the college, which was now in its own building overlooking Mirror Lake in downtown St. Petersburg, became accredited and has remained so to this day.