Best Christian Colleges in Florida 2023

Best Christian Colleges in Florida 2023

By James Barham

Published: Mar 16, 2021
Updated: May 22, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Florida.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Florida 2022

Barry University

33%

Florida Southern College

32%

29%

Saint Leo University

29%

Ave Maria University

25%

Palm Beach Atlantic University

23%

St. Thomas University

22%

Bethune–Cookman University

21%

Florida Memorial University

21%

Southeastern University

18%

Bethune–Cookman University

100%

Baptist College of Florida

100%

Saint John Vianney Seminary

95%

Palm Beach Atlantic University

90%

AdventHealth University

90%

Edward Waters University

80%

Saint Leo University

71%

St. Thomas University

71%

70%

Ave Maria University

64%

Southeastern University

28 to 1

Edward Waters University

17 to 1

Saint Leo University

17 to 1

Barry University

15 to 1

Bethune–Cookman University

15 to 1

Trinity Baptist College

15 to 1

Florida Southern College

14 to 1

Warner University

14 to 1

Trinity College of Florida

14 to 1

Florida Memorial University

13 to 1

$47,704

Florida Southern College

$38,980

Palm Beach Atlantic University

$34,134

St. Thomas University

$32,940

Barry University

$31,540

Southeastern University

$28,320

Warner University

$26,744

Saint Leo University

$26,050

Ave Maria University

$24,610

Saint John Vianney Seminary

$23,100

AdventHealth University

$23,775

Saint John Vianney Seminary

$23,100

Edward Waters University

$22,319

Barry University

$17,820

Florida Southern College

$17,232

Florida Memorial University

$16,708

Ave Maria University

$15,672

Saint Leo University

$15,218

St. Thomas University

$14,400

Bethune–Cookman University

$13,500

Trinity College of Florida

12%

AdventHealth University

14%

Saint John Vianney Seminary

14%

Hobe Sound Bible College

14%

Edward Waters University

15%

Johnson University Florida

15%

Baptist College of Florida

15%

Trinity Baptist College

16%

Warner University

17%

Southeastern University

18%

Johnson University Florida

41%

Trinity Baptist College

43%

Southeastern University

45%

Trinity College of Florida

47%

Warner University

53%

Florida Memorial University

57%

Florida Southern College

61%

Barry University

64%

Ave Maria University

64%

70%

Saint John Vianney Seminary

4 to 1

AdventHealth University

7 to 1

Johnson University Florida

8 to 1

Baptist College of Florida

8 to 1

Hobe Sound Bible College

10 to 1

St. Thomas University

11 to 1

Palm Beach Atlantic University

12 to 1

12 to 1

Florida Memorial University

13 to 1

Ave Maria University

13 to 1

Hobe Sound Bible College

$7,698

Baptist College of Florida

$12,150

Trinity Baptist College

$13,180

Bethune–Cookman University

$14,794

Edward Waters University

$14,878

Trinity College of Florida

$16,300

Florida Memorial University

$16,836

Johnson University Florida

$18,614

AdventHealth University

$20,340

Saint John Vianney Seminary

$23,100

Baptist College of Florida

$4,500

Warner University

$6,000

Hobe Sound Bible College

$7,650

Southeastern University

$12,000

Palm Beach Atlantic University

$12,960

Bethune–Cookman University

$13,500

St. Thomas University

$14,400

Saint Leo University

$15,218

Ave Maria University

$15,672

Florida Memorial University

$16,708

Key Takeaways

Christian colleges are for students who want to continue higher education in institutions that incorporate Christian ideas into academics and student life. These colleges allow students to practice religion in a welcoming environment, enhancing their body, mind, and soul, while receiving a quality education.
Florida is among the most affordable states to seek higher education from a Christian perspective. The highest tuition fee on the list is $48,000 from Eckerd College, and the lowest is $8,000 from Hobe Sound Bible College.
Christian colleges on the list have distinct features, giving students several options in choosing a Christian college that best suits their academic interests and preferred ways of applying their faith.

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Florida

The state of Florida offers a wealth of options for students seeking both traditional and online degree programs. With more than 40 public and 50 private schools, prospective students can earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from an extremely wide variety of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Florida.

Colleges in Florida are also uniquely affordable, with the state average tuition of $6,360 falling well under the national average. Among the most popular disciplines in Florida are anthropology, nursing, law, religious studies, and earth sciences. Many of these valuable degrees are available through online courses and fully online degree programs.

Indeed, nearly 40 colleges and universities in Florida offer online degrees. These online degree programs offer flexibility, convenience and accessibility. Make sure to choose an online degree program with accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Among the largest colleges in Florida is Miami Dade College. This public college is home to over 165,000 students across eight campuses and 21 outreach centers as well as various excellent online degree programs. Miami Dade College also offers an extremely affordable in-state tuition of $3,000.

Students seeking a religious school can choose from 21 colleges and universities that are grounded in Judeo-Christian, Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, and Christian principles. Ranked as the top two schools, the University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU) both have large student populations, with just over 45,000 at UF and just under 39,000 as FSU. Both are also affordable, with tuition at $6,000 and $7,000, respectively.

At $50,000, the University of Miami is the most expensive private college in the state and has graduated influential people such as Gene Roddenberry, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Florida also offers its nursing students up to $4,000 in financial aid through their Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program.

Coastal cities, sandy beaches, orange groves, and vibrant flowers - it’s no wonder Florida is called The Sunshine State. Home to the famous Everglades National Park and Disney World, Florida also boasts 90 higher education institutes.

With so many options for both traditional and online colleges in Florida, this state has a lot to offer higher education students. Check out Florida’s best degree programs and top career paths.

What are Florida’s Colleges & Universities?

Florida’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 19 Christian colleges in Florida. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

Florida's Best Christian Colleges and Universities — Download Badge

Discovering Faith-based Florida Colleges

Florida, one of the top states for pursuing higher education, offers dozens of Christian colleges. Many Christian colleges are cheaper than in other major states, such as New York and California.

Numerous Bible colleges are located all around the Sunshine State, ranging in size from small institutions to major campuses. Christian colleges are private institutions set apart from other colleges by their ties to well-known religious bodies.

Benefits of Attending Christian Colleges in Florida

Low Tuition Rates

Regardless of the state, attending college can be very expensive. However, in Florida, tuition and fees for all school types are comparably cheaper. In fact, Florida is #1 for higher education in the United States, according to US News & World

Florida has the second-lowest tuition in the US and the sixth-lowest level of student debt at graduation.

Internship opportunities

Christian colleges in Florida offer students vast access to internship opportunities in settings that will satisfy their religious demands. However, the majority of internships from Christian colleges are unpaid, but they’ll give you the practical experience you need to prepare for your future career.

Work Programs

Christian colleges in Florida also focus on helping students pay for their college. As a result, most of the best Christian colleges in the state have work programs to help students make extra cash while gaining practical experience in their chosen fields.

A feeling of community.

Students can form intimate bonds with professors and fellow students at Florida Christian colleges by maintaining small class sizes. The relationships formed during this process aid students in academic and personal development.

Florida Online Christian Colleges and Financial Aid Opportunities

The majority of the best Christian colleges in Florida offer online degrees that allow students to receive the same education as their on-campus counterparts. These Christian colleges offer online courses and degrees, perfect for working professionals:

Barry University
Saint Leo University
St. Thomas University
Southeastern University
Trinity Baptist College
Advent Health University
Trinity College of Florida
Baptist College of Florida

When it comes to financial aid opportunities, Christian colleges in Florida offer plenty of them. In fact, Florida’s federal government provides grants and student loans to most of the state’s Christian Colleges, many of which also offer competitive scholarship packages to deserving students.

Students looking for Christian education in Florida with generous financial aid offers have several high-quality options. These Christian colleges provide one of the best financial aid packages:

Eckerd College
Warner University
Florida Memorial University
Hobe Sound Bible College

Students must submit the FAFSA before completing a Florida financial aid application. But students will still be able to apply for some scholarships regardless if they haven’t finished the FAFSA.

If you’re an out-of-state student, expect to pay higher tuition, fees, and limited financial aid opportunities for at least 12 months. After 12 months of staying and studying in Florida, you’ll be evaluated and have higher chances of becoming a resident and paying in-state tuition, which is significantly lower than out-of-state tuition.

How do we determine Florida's best Christian colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Florida 2022

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2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Photo Credit: Barry University, Public Domain Image, By Jutland86.