Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges 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.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 38 private universities in Florida. To be included in the list below of the 25 best private universities in Florida, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
33%
Graduation
83%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1355/30
University of Miami’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
60%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/27
Florida Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
62%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/24
Nova Southeastern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
81%
Student body
3K
Rollins College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
64%
Student body
4K
Stetson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
36%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/19
Barry University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
68%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1192/26
Florida Southern College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
65%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
Eckerd College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
51%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
Jacksonville University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
71%
Student body
29K
Keiser University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
60%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/25
University of Tampa’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
53%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/24
Ave Maria University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
50%
Student body
10K
Saint Leo University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
57%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1090/23
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
35%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
990/19
St. Thomas University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
59%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/23
Lynn University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
54%
Graduation
49%
Student body
<1K
Warner University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
40%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
975/18
Webber International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
35%
Student body
1K
Florida Memorial University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
28%
Student body
<1K
Hodges University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
33%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
925/16
Bethune–Cookman University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
58%
Student body
3K
Flagler College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
54%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/23
Florida College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
28%
Student body
<1K
City College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
48%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/21
Southeastern University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized 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.
