Chipola College

Chipola College Academics

Chipola College is a small community institution in Florida’s panhandle. The school was known as Chipola Junior College until 2003, when it began to offer bachelor’s degrees in a number of fields, including Business, Engineering, and Nursing.

The Chipola Teacher’s Education Program has degrees in secondary mathematics, middle school mathematics, biology, elementary education, and exceptional studies education. Moreover, Chipola’s Education Preparation Institute provides college graduates who were not education majors help in obtaining credits to become a certified teacher in the state of Florida.

Chipola College Admissions

Chipola College has an open administration policy. Prospective students will first need to fill out an Application for Admission, which can be done online.

Official high school or college transcripts must be sent to the Chipola Admission Office. Students are also required to take a placement test, which will help Chipola advisors—as well as the student—determine which program and which path is best for the applicant’s future.

Chipola College Financial Aid

A number of grants, loans, and scholarships are available to students seeking admittance to Chipola College. Students should fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which can be done on the college’s web site.

Chipola College’s deadline for applying for financial aid is May 1.

Chipola College Students

For the most part, Chipola students commute to school—only a small number live on campus. Chipola is located in Marianna, a small city located in Florida’s panhandle. The state capital of Tallahassee is only 65 miles west of Marianna, and Panama and the Gulf of Mexico are only an hour’s drive away.

Marianna is in that relatively small portion of Florida in the Central Time Zone. In fact, the city is near the eastern extremity of the Central Time Zone, and this leads to some unique phenomena with the clocks and watches. For example, sunrise in Marianna is 20 minutes earlier than in New Orleans and 45 minutes earlier than in Dallas, even though all three cities share the same time zone. And those departing Tallahassee will basically arrive in Marianna around the same time they left, as the clock will roll back an hour during the trip.

Chipola students can take advantage of many clubs and organizations outside of the classroom. The Brain Bowl Team, Chipola Player’s Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Phi Theta Kappa, which is the college’s Honor Society, are but a few examples of these organizations. The Chipola Theatre, which is on campus, features performances by both students and professionals.

Chipola College Athletics

Chipola competes in the Panhandle Conference of the Florida Junior College Athletic Association. The school has teams in baseball, women’s softball, cross-country, and both men’s and women’s basketball. Its sports teams are nicknamed the Indians.

The Chipola baseball team has won more state championships than any other junior college in Florida. The women’s team has followed in the footsteps of the men: In both 2005 and 2007 both teams won the state championship. In 2007, the baseball team made it all the way to the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship game.

Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Russell Martin is a Chipola College alumni, having played for the Indians in 2001 and 2002. Former major league manager Buck Showalter, who skippered the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers, also attended Chipola.

Carnegie Foundation Classification

Associate's — Public 4-year Primarily Associate's

General Characteristics

Highest offering	Bachelor's degree
Calendar System	Semester
Years of college work required	N/A
Variable Tuition

Special Learning Opportunities

Distance Learning
ROTC — Army / Navy / Air Force	— / /
Study Abroad
Weekend College
Teacher Certification