Most Affordable Fire Science Degree Programs

Even the most experienced firefighters were once young men and women who just wanted to do their part, and, like most young people, they were probably trying to get their start on a limited budget. If the list below had been around then, that job might have been a little easier.

We used the most current information from the National Center for Education Statistics to find the 67 most affordable Fire Science degree programs in the country. Each of the schools on the list is a four-year institution with average annual tuition below $10,000. While the colleges and universities may vary greatly by location, atmosphere and other factors, any of the schools below would be an excellent choice for prospective firefighters looking for a great education at an affordable price.

For more information about our college rankings, please read our methodology page.

Rank Name Tuition Total Enrollment Type City State
1 Salem State University $910 14,149 Public Salem Massachusetts
2 Broward College $1,810 60,085 Public Fort Lauderdale Florida
3 College of Central Florida $1,819 12,325 Public Ocala Florida
4 Santa Fe College $1,840 21,793 Public Gainesville Florida
5 Pensacola State College $1,954 17,485 Public Pensacola Florida
6 Florida State College at Jacksonville $1,995 49,670 Public Jacksonville Florida
7 Gulf Coast State College $2,042 10,716 Public Panama City Florida
8 College of Southern Nevada $2,078 61,662 Public Las Vegas Nevada
9 Great Basin College $2,078 5,195 Public Elko Nevada
10 Northwest Florida State College $2,256 11,803 Public Niceville Florida
11 Saint Johns River State College $2,264 9,676 Public Palatka Florida
12 Northern Marianas College $2,280 1,388 Public Saipan Northern Mariana Islands
13 Palm Beach State College $2,304 43,530 Public Lake Worth Florida
14 St Petersburg College $2,324 43,534 Public Largo Florida
15 Chipola College $2,365 2,963 Public Marianna Florida
16 Miami Dade College $2,365 99,232 Public Miami Florida
17 Seminole State College of Florida $2,365 26,884 Public Sanford Florida
18 State College of Florida – Manatee – Sarasota $2,365 17,404 Public Bradenton Florida
19 Polk State College $2,373 15,150 Public Winter Haven Florida
20 Indian River State College $2,376 26,197 Public Fort Pierce Florida
21 Northern New Mexico College $2,411 3,259 Public Espanola New Mexico
22 Fayetteville State University $2,427 7,206 Public Fayetteville North Carolina
23 Edison State College $2,508 24,097 Public Fort Myers Florida
24 Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City $2,534 15,332 Public Oklahoma City Oklahoma
25 Colorado Mountain College $2,670 10,740 Public Glenwood Springs Colorado
26 Bismarck State College $2,691 5,089 Public Bismarck North Dakota
27 Daytona State College $3,074 25,231 Public Daytona Beach Florida
28 Olympic College $3,102 12,222 Public Bremerton Washington
29 Bellevue College $3,152 23,059 Public Bellevue Washington
30 Midland College $3,180 11,695 Public Midland Texas
31 University of North Carolina at Charlotte $3,242 29,290 Public Charlotte North Carolina
32 Madison Area Technical College $3,356 24,550 Public Madison Wisconsin
33 Columbia Basin College $3,383 9,867 Public Pasco Washington
34 Brigham Young University – Idaho $3,470 24,584 Private - Not For Profit Rexburg Idaho
35 Southwestern Oklahoma State University $3,660 6,303 Public Weatherford Oklahoma
36 Utah Valley University $3,944 40,697 Public Orem Utah
37 University of Florida $4,060 58,082 Public Gainesville Florida
38 Lewis – Clark State College $4,144 5,816 Public Lewiston Idaho
39 Idaho State University $4,180 18,620 Public Pocatello Idaho
40 Montana State University – Billings $4,187 6,651 Public Billings Montana
41 Vincennes University $4,249 23,958 Public Vincennes Indiana
42 Oklahoma State University – Main Campus $4,303 26,807 Public Stillwater Oklahoma
43 Athens State University $4,590 4,782 Public Athens Alabama
44 Columbia Southern University $4,800 28,460 Private - For Profit Orange Beach Alabama
45 University of Alaska Anchorage $5,115 28,019 Public Anchorage Alaska
46 University of Alaska Fairbanks $5,115 15,579 Public Fairbanks Alaska
47 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice $5,130 18,040 Public New York New York
48 California State University – Los Angeles $5,472 22,830 Public Los Angeles California
49 Eastern Oregon University $5,603 6,021 Public La Grande Oregon
50 Columbia College $5,679 30,588 Private - Not For Profit Columbia Missouri
51 University of Maryland – University College $5,856 59,200 Public Adelphi Maryland
52 Mountain State University $5,880 8,399 Private - Not For Profit Beckley West Virginia
53 American Public University System $6,000 88,029 Private - For Profit Charles Town West Virginia
54 University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh $6,090 15,954 Public Oshkosh Wisconsin
55 University of Nebraska – Lincoln $6,248 27,443 Public Lincoln Nebraska
56 Colorado State University – Fort Collins $6,307 33,712 Public Fort Collins Colorado
57 University of the District of Columbia $6,380 12,440 Public Washington District Of Columbia
58 Western Oregon University $6,450 8,384 Public Monmouth Oregon
59 Southwest Minnesota State University $6,679 7,732 Public Marshall Minnesota
60 Eastern Kentucky University $6,960 19,299 Public Richmond Kentucky
61 New Jersey City University $7,075 10,605 Public Jersey City New Jersey
62 Southern Illinois University Carbondale $7,337 22,814 Public Carbondale Illinois
63 University of Akron Main Campus $8,004 32,183 Public Akron Ohio
64 University of Cincinnati – Main Campus $8,805 38,041 Public Cincinnati Ohio
65 Grand Canyon University $9,198 65,509 Private - For Profit Phoenix Arizona
66 Park University $9,240 22,678 Private - Not For Profit Parkville Missouri
67 Lake Superior State University $9,264 3,099 Public Sault Ste Marie Michigan