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.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Florida is University of Florida-Online, Gainesville - a net price of $4,336 against $71,588 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 16.5×, 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 | $4,336 | $71,588 | 16.5× | 78% | $3,876 |
| 2 |  University of Florida Gainesville, FL | $5,969 | $71,588 | 12.0× | 92% | $6,381 |
| 3 |  Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | $8,605 | $61,675 | 7.2× | 83% | $5,656 |
| 4 |  University of South Florida Tampa, FL | $8,648 | $57,743 | 6.7× | 75% | $6,410 |
| 5 |  New College of Florida Sarasota, FL | $8,222 | $48,082 | 5.8× | 62% | $6,916 |
| 6 |  Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL | $10,394 | $56,746 | 5.5× | 64% | $4,879 |
| 7 |  Florida International University Miami, FL | $11,462 | $60,249 | 5.3× | 74% | $6,565 |
| 8 |  University of West Florida Pensacola, FL | $9,443 | $49,137 | 5.2× | 62% | $6,360 |
| 9 |  University of Central Florida Orlando, FL | $11,516 | $58,308 | 5.1× | 75% | $6,368 |
| 10 |  University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL | $11,689 | $56,343 | 4.8× | 68% | $6,389 |
| 11 |  Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL | $11,555 | $54,560 | 4.7× | 56% | $6,118 |
| 12 |  Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL | $15,220 | $44,349 | 2.9× | 52% | $5,785 |
| 13 |  West Coast University-Miami Doral, FL | $37,774 | $102,672 | 2.7× | 50% | $24,008 |
| 14 |  Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL | $28,424 | $68,010 | 2.4× | 57% | $49,800 |
| 15 |  Stetson University DeLand, FL | $22,521 | $51,642 | 2.3× | 63% | $59,690 |
| 16 |  Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay Saint Petersburg, FL | $27,950 | $61,480 | 2.2× | 64% | $18,790 |
| 17 |  Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL | $27,714 | $59,209 | 2.1× | 64% | $40,360 |
| 18 |  Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL | $26,211 | $55,294 | 2.1× | 69% | $46,168 |
| 19 |  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FL | $40,539 | $84,131 | 2.1× | 67% | $46,181 |
| 20 |  University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | $36,483 | $75,328 | 2.1× | 84% | $65,430 |
| 21 |  Baptist University of Florida Graceville, FL | $21,817 | $42,836 | 2.0× | 69% | $14,500 |
| 22 |  Ave Maria University Ave Maria, FL | $25,893 | $49,520 | 1.9× | 55% | $31,712 |
| 23 |  Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL | $28,724 | $49,232 | 1.7× | 59% | $42,250 |
| 24 |  Florida College Temple Terrace, FL | $25,840 | $43,445 | 1.7× | 51% | $21,628 |
| 25 |  Rollins College Winter Park, FL | $36,204 | $58,295 | 1.6× | 77% | $62,950 |
| 26 | EU Everglades University Boca Raton, FL | $29,825 | $47,597 | 1.6× | 58% | $22,400 |
| 27 |  Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL | $31,717 | $49,483 | 1.6× | 56% | $33,490 |
| 28 |  The University of Tampa Tampa, FL | $40,584 | $59,436 | 1.5× | 62% | $35,744 |
| 29 |  Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL | $42,037 | $51,819 | 1.2× | 68% | $53,436 |
| 30 |  Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL | $36,511 | $43,137 | 1.2× | 65% | $46,669 |
| 31 |  Aviator College of Aeronautical Science and Technology Fort Pierce, FL | $57,458 | $67,739 | 1.2× | 58% | $44,975 |
| 32 | LU Lynn University Boca Raton, FL | $43,806 | $49,006 | 1.1× | 53% | $46,450 |
| 33 | RCAD Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL | $63,679 | $43,325 | 0.7× | 71% | $60,170 |
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 $4,336 against $71,588 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 16.5× (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. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.