by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top Florida Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 77 colleges and universities across Florida to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Florida to be the best school for overall quality in Florida in this year’s ranking.Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 17,268 students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UF make an average of $64,463 a year.
Out of the 77 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Miami landed the #2 spot on the list. U Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,042 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $67,362 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the large public school awarded 13,129 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Florida State make an average of $53,449 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Daytona Beach, Florida that handed out 1,551 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach make an average of $77,768 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5,884 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale make an average of $36,284 a year.
Florida International University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #6.Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 18,483 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FIU make an average of $54,501 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #7, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 19,318 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $51,912 during the early years of their career..
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. This large public school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 14,828 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from USF Tampa is $50,262 during the early years of their career.
Rasmussen University - Florida came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Rasmussen University - Florida is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in Ocala, Florida that handed out 4,368 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Rasmussen University - Florida is $35,667 during the early years of their career.
Nova Southeastern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in Florida list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 6,062 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from NUS Florida go into careers with an average salary of $53,201 during the early years of their career.
Florida Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #11. Florida Tech is located in Melbourne, Florida and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,070 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $63,704 during the early years of their career..
Southeastern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in Florida list.Lakeland, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,595 students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SEU make an average of $40,636 per year during the early years of their career.
Florida Atlantic University landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, the large public school handed out 8,628 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from FAU make an average of $50,478 a year.
With a ranking of #14, Valencia College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. Located in Orlando, Florida, the large public school awarded 18,199 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Valencia College make an average of $38,070 a year.
University of North Florida came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the fairly large public school handed out 4,871 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $49,338 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #16, Broward College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. This large public school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 13,738 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from BC is $38,630 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #17, Florida State College at Jacksonville did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida list. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the large public school awarded 9,256 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $36,819 during the early years of their career..
Florida Polytechnic University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #18. Florida Poly is located in Lakeland, Florida and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 274 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Hillsborough Community College landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Hillsborough Community College is a fairly large public school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 6,012 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from HCC make an average of $37,367 per year during the early years of their career.
Palm Beach State College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #20. Palm Beach State College is a large public school situated in Lake Worth, Florida. It awarded 7,049 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Palm Beach State College make an average of $38,834 per year during the early years of their career.
Barry University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Located in Miami, Florida, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,957 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Barry University go into careers with an average salary of $53,436 during the early years of their career.
Rollins College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Winter Park, Florida, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 848 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Rollins make an average of $53,363 per year during the early years of their career.
Miami Dade College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #23.Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 17,521 students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from MDC make an average of $37,653 per year during the early years of their career.
Tallahassee Community College landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 3,119 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $35,349 during the early years of their career..
Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #25. FGCU is located in Fort Myers, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,631 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from FGCU go into careers with an average salary of $49,984 during the early years of their career.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
