2023 Best Schools in Florida
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Schools in Florida ranking. Our analysis looked at 74 schools in Florida to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in Florida
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Florida-Online to be the best school for students in Florida. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 993 students in .
On average, students take out $30,401 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, UF Online graduates make an average of $43,822 annually.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Rasmussen University - Florida is a great place for students. Ocala, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out degrees to 3,797 students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,698 in student loans.After graduating from Rasmussen University - Florida, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $45,427 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 74 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the # 3 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19,345 degrees in .
On average, students take out $29,700 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, UF graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $58,388 during the early year of their career.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Schools in Florida list. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a private not-for-profit institution located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,673 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach accumulate an average of $62,707 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $70,246 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 74 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida SouthWestern State College landed the # 5 spot on the list. FSW is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Myers, Florida. It awarded 2,530 degrees in .
Degree recipients from FSW accumulate an average of $19,042 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from FSW, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,597 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #6, Hillsborough Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. HCC is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,506 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,644 in student loans. During the early years of their career, HCC graduates make an average of $44,101 annually.
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With a ranking of #7, Florida State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and has a large student population. In , this school awarded 14,528 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $26,393 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Florida State graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $51,884 during the early year of their career.
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Florida Polytechnic University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. Florida Polytechnic University is a small public school located in Lakeland, Florida that handed out 314 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Florida Poly graduates make an average of $64,823 annually.
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University of Central Florida came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Florida ranking. Located in Orlando, Florida, the large public school handed out 19,434 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,216 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, UCF graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $51,790 during the early year of their career.
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University of Miami ranked #10 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. Located in Coral Gables, Florida, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 6,048 diplomas to qualifed students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $63,983 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, U Miami graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $57,234 during the early year of their career.
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Polk State College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Winter Haven, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 1,966 students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,000 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Polk State graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $49,499 during the early year of their career.
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Southeastern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. Southeastern University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Lakeland, Florida that handed out 1,538 degrees in .
On average, students take out $27,514 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, SEU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,154 during the early year of their career.
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St Petersburg College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. SPC is a large public school situated in St. Petersburg, Florida. It awarded 6,000 degrees in .
Degree recipients from SPC accumulate an average of $12,901 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from SPC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,218 during the early years of their career.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida. It awarded 14,371 degrees in .
On average, students take out $22,575 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from USF Tampa, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,885 during the early years of their career.
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Florida Institute of Technology landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Florida Tech is located in Melbourne, Florida and has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 2,529 degrees to qualified students.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $64,258 in student loans.After graduating from Florida Tech, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $69,878 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #16, Valencia College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. This large public school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 16,336 degrees in .
On average, students take out $12,346 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Valencia College graduates make an average of $42,786 annually.
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Seminole State College of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #17 on the list. Seminole State is located in Sanford, Florida and has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 5,378 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $19,070 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Seminole State graduates make an average of $48,049 annually.
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With a ranking of #18, Miami Dade College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. MDC is located in Miami, Florida and has a large student population. In , this school awarded 14,616 degrees to qualified students.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,492 in student loans. During the early years of their career, MDC graduates make an average of $40,267 annually.
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Florida Institute of Technology - Online did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #19 on the list. Florida Institute of Technology - Online is located in Melbourne, Florida and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 460 degrees to qualified students.
Degree recipients from Florida Institute of Technology - Online accumulate an average of $60,337 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Florida Institute of Technology - Online graduates make an average of $61,361 annually.
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Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Florida ranking. FGCU is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Myers, Florida. It awarded 3,942 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,288 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, FGCU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $50,726 during the early year of their career.
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Chipola College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Florida ranking. Located in Marianna, Florida, the small public school awarded 518 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Once they receive their degree, Chipola graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $43,599 during the early year of their career.
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Indian River State College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. Indian River State College is a fairly large public school located in Fort Pierce, Florida that handed out 4,042 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Indian River State College accumulate an average of $11,365 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Indian River State College graduates make an average of $44,082 annually.
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Florida State College at Jacksonville landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. FSCJ is a large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 5,952 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,328 in student loans. During the early years of their career, FSCJ graduates make an average of $46,748 annually.
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Daytona State College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Schools in Florida list. Daytona State College is a fairly large public school located in Daytona Beach, Florida that handed out 3,124 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,926 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Daytona State College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $43,320 during the early year of their career.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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.
Featured Schools
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