Best Psychology Schools Near Fort Walton Beach, FL (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Fort Walton Beach, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering psychology programs, with tuition ranging from $15,000 to $23,159 per year for indexed programs. Fort Walton Beach has a population of about 20,956. Median household income is $66,556 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, the top-earning psychology-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $105,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Psychology Schools to Fort Walton Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer psychology programs near Fort Walton Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Walton Beach city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Fort Walton Beach. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of West Florida

Pensacola, FL 36.7 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,137
Avg net price $9,364/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Baptist University of Florida

Graceville, FL 76.0 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
41.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,836
Avg net price $10,372/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,000
Out‑of‑state$15,000
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL 138.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,675
Avg net price $11,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 148

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL 138.8 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,349
Avg net price $13,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 261.1 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
93.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 172

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL 261.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
83.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $4,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Trinity College of Florida

Trinity, FL 283.0 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
22.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 92%
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,465
Avg net price $20,297/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,300
Out‑of‑state$16,300
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 22%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:Accreditor: Association for Biblical Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Edward Waters University

Jacksonville, FL 294.1 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
30.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,782
Avg net price $13,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida psychology page.

Psychology Wages Near Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area (BLS area code 18880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist $105,570 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $108,835
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist N/A FL statewide –
School Psychologist $84,760 FL statewide $87,381
Educational and Career Counselor $60,120 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $61,979
Marriage and Family Therapist $56,400 FL statewide $58,144
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor $55,270 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $56,979
Healthcare Social Worker $67,030 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $69,103
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker $46,630 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $48,072

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Fort Walton Beach at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 20,956 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $66,556 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 27.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Psychology-related employment in Okaloosa County 2,805 workers, 368 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Fort Walton Beach-Area Cities With Psychology Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited psychology schools are near Fort Walton Beach, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering psychology programs near Fort Walton Beach. The closest is University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL (36.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of South Alabama (94.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying psychology roles near Fort Walton Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying psychology-related roles near Fort Walton Beach are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($105,570), School Psychologist ($84,760), Healthcare Social Worker ($67,030). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Crestview instead of Fort Walton Beach?

Crestview, FL is 22.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach and has its own set of local psychology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Walton Beach an affordable place to study psychology?

Fort Walton Beach’s median household income of $66,556 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Walton Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Psychology Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Walton Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Walton Beach:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Psychology Schools in Florida: Online Programs (2026)