Small colleges in Florida are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
Pinning down the best colleges and universities is one of the most challenging things students must do. Some may find themselves feverishly looking up whcih colleges and universities offer the best college-life experience. Often this results in students who tend to “follow the crowd” toward big public and private colleges without considering alternative colleges.
Due to having less popularity, small colleges are often disregarded. But by taking a closer look, you’ll discover that going to one of the top small colleges has several advantages. These benefits present a strong argument for keeping small Central Florida colleges on your shortlist.
The first benefit of attending a small private institution with a low student enrollment is the more intimate setting that leads to greater class participation.
Students can frequently learn more from their degree programs this way than they can by taking notes in a large lecture hall. Students can benefit from classroom and small group discussions by having a better grasp on lectures, easily meeting new friends, and developing critical thinking skills—things that can be difficult to attain at a more prominent institution, such as Florida International University.
An additional advantage of having a smaller class size is the opportunity for significant face-to-face time with your professors. You’ll also experience a more tight-knit campus community, which often leads to better networking opportunities and connections.
It’s worth noting that some small private colleges may not offer a graduate program. This can be a benefit because if you attend a university that solely confers undergraduate degrees, your course won’t be taught by a teaching assistant, as is frequently the case at larger universities.
Instead, you’re much more likely to have a teacher that is knowledgeable about their field and isn’t just another student. While enrolling in a course taught by recent graduates is possible, this is rare, and your instructor will at least have completed their study.
Small colleges can design lessons specifically for their students, develop unique curricula, and provide project-based learning as an alternative to test-based learning.
You will study the content required for your major and get to apply it right away because many small universities use an experiential learning approach to education. Students who are unsure or confused about their degree can benefit from experiential learning by seeing and experiencing what it is truly like to work in that field.
Because small colleges offer more robust academic advisers and more personalized attention, students tend to graduate on time, resulting in a much higher graduation rate.
Students often do not have to repeat classes or be late on submissions because their instructors are very hands-on and approachable. Students can count on their advisors to support them in making the best decisions if a personal matter arises.
While you should enjoy your time in college, taking extra semesters or adding one academic year to complete your degree frequently results in higher tuition and fees. A small university’s added personalized attention will ensure that your time and money are used wisely.
Students planning to pursue degrees in a small private school should expect to pay an average tuition and fees of $9,400. Despite having higher costs than large public colleges, small private colleges frequently provide generous financial aid packages that help to reduce the gap.
Financial aid is crucial in private institutions’ efforts to draw in a diverse student body. Additionally, most private colleges can offer scholarships to out-of-state students, unlike the majority of state universities, where they only usually prioritize in-state students.
And because there are fewer students, there’s less competition for financial aid, so students attending smaller schools can often get more financial aid. Students will also have a greater chance of getting into work-study programs.
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.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Florida is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified a total of 32 small colleges in Florida. The list below of the 25 best small colleges in Flordia. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Rollins College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
63%
Student body
4K
Stetson University’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
$39K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
68%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/27
Florida Southern College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
68%
Student body
2K
Eckerd College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
48%
Student body
4K
Jacksonville University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
61%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1129/24
Ave Maria University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
61%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
41%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/18
St. Thomas University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
50%
Student body
3K
Lynn University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
40%
Student body
<1K
Warner University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
24%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
956/17
Webber International University’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
$17K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
32%
Student body
<1K
Florida Memorial University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Graduation
15%
Student body
<1K
Hodges University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
32%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
910/17
Bethune–Cookman University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
58%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/22
Flagler 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:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
54%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/21
Florida College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
44%
Student body
<1K
City College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
58%
Student body
2K
Tuition + fees
$2K
Graduation
63%
Student body
3K
Gulf Coast State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
18%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
999/19
Trinity Baptist College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
68%
Student body
<1K
Beacon College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
66%
Student body
2K
South 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.