Florida’s Best Community Colleges of 2021
The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in Florida offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
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?
- 13 Research Universities
- 57 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 23 Graduate Schools
- 38 Public Colleges & Universities
- 38 Private Colleges & Universities
- 19 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 32 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 48 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 34 Online Colleges
Florida’s Best Overall
We’ve identified 21 community colleges in Florida. In order to be included in this list of the best community colleges, a school needs to satisfy the following three conditions:
Florida’s Best Community Colleges
- #3 Best Online Associate in Hospitality and Tourism #11 Best Online Associate Degrees in Florida 2024 #11 Best Online Associate in Fire Science Degree Programs #14 Best Online Associate in Mathematics 2025
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
33%
Student body
37K
Career Outlook for degree at Hillsborough Community College
Cost of Degree: $2,506Expenses: $15,702Starting Salary: $36,800Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Hillsborough Community College known for?
Hillsborough Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni