Common Questions

  1. How many FTE do we have?

    It depends on the formula you wish to use to calculate FTE (full-time equivalency). Basically, FTE is just a standardized unit of enrollment measurement that can use any of various factors — credit enrollment, non-credit enrollment, headcount, full-time vs. part-time students, etc.

    If you are filling out a survey for an outside agency, you may be given a formula to calculate our FTE that may be different from the formula used by the state. The FTE figure you calculate with the state’s formula may be much different than what we officially report, but this is okay because this method allows outside data users to evaluate institutions on a level playing field.

    Since fall 2004, the official formula for computing FTE in Florida’s College System, as used by the Division of Community Colleges, is (SSH/30) + (CHE/30), where SSH = Student Semester Hours (total credit hours) and CHE = Credit Hour Equivalents (contact hours / 30).

    The formula for non-credit clock-hours has not changed: 1 FTE = 900 Clock Hours.