Best-Value Colleges in Florida
33 Florida 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Florida is University of Florida-Online, Gainesville — a net price of $4,815 against $71,588 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 14.9×, with a 78% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL | $4,815 | $71,588 | 14.9× | 78% | $3,876 |
| 2 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | $6,541 | $71,588 | 10.9× | 92% | $6,381 |
| 3 | New College of Florida Sarasota, FL | $7,195 | $48,082 | 6.7× | 62% | $6,916 |
| 4 | Florida International University Miami, FL | $9,288 | $60,249 | 6.5× | 74% | $6,565 |
| 5 | Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL | $8,752 | $56,746 | 6.5× | 64% | $4,879 |
| 6 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL | $9,812 | $57,743 | 5.9× | 75% | $6,410 |
| 7 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL | $10,411 | $58,308 | 5.6× | 75% | $6,368 |
| 8 | University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL | $10,154 | $56,343 | 5.5× | 68% | $6,389 |
| 9 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | $11,297 | $61,675 | 5.5× | 83% | $5,656 |
| 10 | University of West Florida Pensacola, FL | $9,364 | $49,137 | 5.2× | 62% | $6,360 |
| 11 | Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL | $12,568 | $54,560 | 4.3× | 56% | $6,118 |
| 12 | Baptist University of Florida Graceville, FL | $10,372 | $42,836 | 4.1× | 69% | $15,000 |
| 13 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL | $13,739 | $44,349 | 3.2× | 52% | $5,785 |
| 14 | West Coast University-Miami Doral, FL | $32,539 | $102,672 | 3.2× | 50% | $23,317 |
| 15 | Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL | $25,180 | $68,010 | 2.7× | 57% | $47,830 |
| 16 | Stetson University DeLand, FL | $19,372 | $51,642 | 2.7× | 63% | $57,410 |
| 17 | Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay Saint Petersburg, FL | $28,197 | $61,480 | 2.2× | 64% | $17,048 |
| 18 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL | $41,272 | $84,131 | 2.0× | 67% | $44,249 |
| 19 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | $37,244 | $75,328 | 2.0× | 84% | $62,616 |
| 20 | Ave Maria University Ave Maria, FL | $24,860 | $49,520 | 2.0× | 55% | $30,198 |
| 21 | Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL | $30,371 | $59,209 | 1.9× | 64% | $38,700 |
| 22 | Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL | $28,551 | $55,294 | 1.9× | 69% | $44,040 |
| 23 | Florida College Temple Terrace, FL | $23,931 | $43,445 | 1.8× | 51% | $20,360 |
| 24 | Everglades University Boca Raton, FL | $27,371 | $47,597 | 1.7× | 58% | $21,680 |
| 25 | Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL | $28,354 | $49,232 | 1.7× | 59% | $40,650 |
| 26 | Rollins College Winter Park, FL | $34,732 | $58,295 | 1.7× | 77% | $60,580 |
| 27 | The University of Tampa Tampa, FL | $36,211 | $59,436 | 1.6× | 62% | $34,408 |
| 28 | Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL | $30,525 | $49,483 | 1.6× | 56% | $29,900 |
| 29 | Aviator College of Aeronautical Science and Technology Fort Pierce, FL | $43,941 | $67,739 | 1.5× | 58% | $44,975 |
| 30 | Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL | $38,071 | $51,819 | 1.4× | 68% | $51,884 |
| 31 | Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL | $35,639 | $43,137 | 1.2× | 65% | $45,900 |
| 32 | Lynn University Boca Raton, FL | $44,089 | $49,006 | 1.1× | 53% | $44,480 |
| 33 | Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL | $57,742 | $43,325 | 0.8× | 71% | $57,900 |
How we ranked this
From every Florida four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Florida?+
University of Florida-Online in Gainesville has the highest return on investment among Florida 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $4,815 against $71,588 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 14.9× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 78% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Florida four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.