2023 Best Colleges in Florida
77
Colleges
$49,709
Avg Salary*
44%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
There 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.
Custom Rankings
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!
Top Colleges in Florida
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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UF make an average of $64,463 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Florida
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. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Coral Gables, Florida, and it awarded 6,042 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from U Miami make an average of $67,362 a year.
Read More…
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in Florida list means Florida State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This large public school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 13,129 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Florida State is $53,449 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Florida State University
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in Florida list means Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a private not-for-profit institution located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,551 bachelor’s degrees 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% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,768 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Out of the 77 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Florida landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Orlando, Florida, the large public school handed out 19,318 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from UCF make an average of $51,912 a year.
Read More…
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14,828 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. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from USF Tampa is $50,262 during the early years of their career.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Report
Florida Institute of Technology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Melbourne, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,070 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Florida Tech make an average of $63,704 a year.
Full Florida Institute of Technology Report
Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #8. This large public school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 18,483 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FIU make an average of $54,501 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Florida International University
Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,884 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale go into careers with an average salary of $36,284 during the early years of their career.
Read More…
Rasmussen University - Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Ocala, Florida, the medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 4,368 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Rasmussen University - Florida go into careers with an average salary of $35,667 during the early years of their career.
Full Rasmussen University - Florida Report
Southeastern University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Florida ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Lakeland, Florida, and it awarded 1,595 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SEU is $40,636 during the early years of their career.
Full Southeastern University Report
With a ranking of #12, Nova Southeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida list. Nova Southeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that handed out 6,062 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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 $53,201 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Nova Southeastern University
Valencia College ranked #13 on this year’s 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.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Valencia College make an average of $38,070 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Valencia College
With a ranking of #14, Florida Atlantic University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida list. This large public school is located in Boca Raton, Florida, and it awarded 8,628 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 $50,478 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Florida Atlantic University
The University of Tampa landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Located in Tampa, Florida, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,489 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students 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%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UT is $55,040 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on The University of Tampa
With a ranking of #16, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida list. UNF is a fairly large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 4,871 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UNF make an average of $49,338 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of North Florida
Saint Leo University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. St. Leo University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Leo, Florida. It awarded 3,388 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from St. Leo University make an average of $46,070 a year.
Full Saint Leo University Report
Rollins College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in Florida list. 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, 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 $53,363 during the early years of their career..
Read More…
Jacksonville University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in Florida list.Jacksonville, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,229 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from JU make an average of $52,409 a year.
Read More…
Palm Beach State College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #20. This large public school is located in Lake Worth, Florida, and 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.
Full Palm Beach State College Report
Florida Gulf Coast University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. Florida Gulf Coast University is a fairly large public school located in Fort Myers, Florida that handed out 3,631 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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% During the early years of their career, graduates from FGCU make an average of $49,984 a year.
Read More…
Broward College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking, coming in at #22. This large public school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 13,738 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from BC make an average of $38,630 a year.
Read full report on Broward College
Hillsborough Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida ranking. HCC is a fairly large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 6,012 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from HCC make an average of $37,367 a year.
Full Hillsborough Community College Report
Florida State College at Jacksonville ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in Florida list. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the large public school handed out 9,256 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FSCJ make an average of $36,819 per year during the early years of their career.
Read More…
With a ranking of #25, Florida Southern College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Florida list.Lakeland, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 925 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Florida Southern make an average of $47,123 a year.
Full Florida Southern College Report
Best Colleges in the Southeast Region
View Best Colleges Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
More Rankings >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
college factual
