The College of the Florida Keys

Key Highlights

• Public Florida College System institution established in 1965
• Current name adopted in 2019 after expansion into bachelor’s education
• HLC-accredited at the associate and bachelor’s levels
• Locations in Key West, Marathon, and Key Largo

Student Life & Environment

Student life is centered primarily on the Key West campus. CFK lists student clubs, student government, organized activities, wellness resources, campus-safety services, learning support, and career planning. The setting naturally favors marine and outdoor interests, but students seeking the scale and breadth of activities found at a large residential university should review the current club directory and events calendar before deciding. Lagoon Landing is the college’s on-campus housing facility. The 2026–2027 catalog describes it as a 100-bed waterfront residence hall with furnished four- and five-bedroom suites, two bathrooms per suite, kitchenettes, Wi-Fi, social areas, and a 24-hour fitness center. Residents can also use selected campus amenities during designated hours. Because capacity is limited relative to the number of students who might relocate to the Keys, housing should not be treated as guaranteed. Career development is integrated into student support. CFK’s career-planning office provides employment resources and promotes internships intended to give students industry experience before graduation. The usefulness and availability of internships will vary by field, location, term, and employer, so students should ask their department about recent placements rather than assuming every program includes one.

Location & Surroundings

The main campus is at 5901 College Road in Key West, on Stock Island immediately east of central Key West. Its waterfront setting is particularly relevant to marine science, diving, and maritime programs. Key West’s tourism, hospitality, marine, healthcare, and public-service economy can create useful applied-learning context, though individual internship or employment outcomes are not guaranteed. CFK also operates the Upper Keys Center at 106040 Overseas Highway in Key Largo and the Middle Keys Center on the Marathon High School campus at 350 Sombrero Beach Road. Students should compare their program’s course location with housing and transportation options: the Keys form a long, linear island chain, and travel between centers can be substantial. The college’s locations page also lists a Workforce Training Center in Big Pine Key as being in an assessment and development phase, so it should not be assumed to offer a full current schedule. The island setting brings practical tradeoffs. Prospective students should budget carefully for housing and transportation and confirm hurricane-preparedness, evacuation, and campus-closure procedures before enrolling.

Costs & Career Outcomes

CFK publishes separate per-credit charges for lower-division credit programs and baccalaureate study. On the official page current as accessed in August 2026, associate-level and other advanced-professional credit courses total $109.22 per credit for Florida residents and $438.73 for nonresidents. Baccalaureate courses total $128.50 per credit for residents and $592.60 for nonresidents. These totals combine tuition with technology, financial-aid, student-activity, and capital-improvement fees. Laboratory and special course charges can add materially to programs involving vessels, travel, equipment, supplies, or field activities. The college’s 2026–2027 full-time undergraduate cost-of-attendance estimates distinguish students living with parents, away from parents, and on campus. They include allowances for tuition and fees, books, housing and food, transportation, and personal expenses; these are budgeting estimates rather than a bill. The published on-campus room-and-board allowance is close to, but not identical with, the stored database figure, so applicants should use the current official aid budget and housing contract when planning. Eligible students can pursue federal and state aid, scholarships, loans, and payment options through CFK. The financial-aid page directs students attending from fall 2026 through summer 2027 to the 2026–2027 FAFSA. Career preparation includes advising, employment resources, and internships, but CFK does not publish sufficiently specific current salary or employer-outcome data on the reviewed pages to support earnings claims.