Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in Florida provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.
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 public colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 38 public universities in Florida. The list below of the 25 best public universities in Florida. To be included, shcools must receive direct funding from the state, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor’s degress.
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
30%
Graduation
91%
Student body
48K
Median SAT/ACT
1375/31
University of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
37%
Graduation
83%
Student body
41K
Median SAT/ACT
1285/29
Florida State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
36%
Graduation
75%
Student body
63K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
University of Central Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
75%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
University of South Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
67%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
Florida International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
55%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/23
Florida Atlantic University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
55%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1090/22
Florida A&M University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
67%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
University of North Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
52%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/24
University of West Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
66%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1267/27
New College of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
35%
Student body
41K
Miami Dade College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$2K
Graduation
46%
Student body
35K
Valencia College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
56%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
Florida Gulf Coast University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
33%
Student body
25K
Broward College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
56%
Student body
9K
Santa Fe College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
36%
Student body
17K
St. Petersburg College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$2K
Graduation
40%
Student body
9K
Tallahassee Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
40%
Student body
10K
Florida SouthWestern State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
39%
Student body
10K
Daytona State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
50%
Student body
10K
Indian River State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
45%
Student body
11K
Seminole State College of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
39%
Student body
15K
Florida State College at Jacksonville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
51%
Student body
1K
Chipola College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
42%
Student body
19K
Palm Beach State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
45%
Student body
10K
Eastern Florida State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
40%
Student body
4K
Northwest Florida State College’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 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.
Check out our directory of public colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top public colleges in every state.
Photo By William M - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0