Florida ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals
Best Colleges in Florida
Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating Florida colleges (undergraduate enrollment 1,000+) rank highest on value: median earnings ten years after enrollment minus average net price. That single gap is the sort key - not prestige, selectivity, or a composite score.
- $66,773
- Top earnings-price gap
- 80
- Florida colleges ranked
- $4,815
- #1 avg net price
The list in one line
Among Florida colleges with enrollment of 1,000+, every school on this list clears a $-14,417 earnings-minus-net-price gap. University of Florida-Online leads at $66,773.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- $66,773
- #1 - University of Florida-Online
- $71,588
- #1 ten-year median earnings
- $-14,417
- #80 cutoff gap
- 1,000+
- undergraduate enrollment floor
Value = 10-year median earnings - average net price for federal-aid students. See methodology for cohort and lag details.
Top 15 Florida colleges by earnings-price gap
Higher gap = more earnings relative to average net price
- University of Florida-On…
University of Florida-Online
$66,773 earnings - net price
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautica…
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide
$65,406 earnings - net price
- University of Florida
University of Florida
$65,047 earnings - net price
- Florida International Un…
Florida International University
$50,961 earnings - net price
- Florida State University
Florida State University
$50,378 earnings - net price
- Florida Atlantic Univers…
Florida Atlantic University
$47,994 earnings - net price
- University of South Flor…
University of South Florida
$47,931 earnings - net price
- University of Central Fl…
University of Central Florida
$47,897 earnings - net price
- University of North Flor…
University of North Florida
$46,189 earnings - net price
- George T Baker Aviation …
George T Baker Aviation Technical College
$44,823 earnings - net price
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautica…
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
$42,859 earnings - net price
- Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
$42,830 earnings - net price
- AdventHealth University
AdventHealth University
$42,147 earnings - net price
- Florida Gulf Coast Unive…
Florida Gulf Coast University
$41,992 earnings - net price
- St Petersburg College
St Petersburg College
$41,086 earnings - net price
What this shows Specialized health and career schools can rank highly when program mix lifts earnings; compare completion rates and debt on each school profile before reading value as overall quality.
The full Florida list
| # | School Name | Median Earnings (10yr) | Avg Net Price | Earnings - Price | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Florida-Online | $71,588 | $4,815 | $66,773 | 4,627 |
| 2 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide | $84,131 | $18,725 | $65,406 | 9,139 |
| 3 | University of Florida | $71,588 | $6,541 | $65,047 | 35,629 |
| 4 | Florida International University | $60,249 | $9,288 | $50,961 | 39,508 |
| 5 | Florida State University | $61,675 | $11,297 | $50,378 | 32,212 |
| 6 | Florida Atlantic University | $56,746 | $8,752 | $47,994 | 23,757 |
| 7 | University of South Florida | $57,743 | $9,812 | $47,931 | 37,207 |
| 8 | University of Central Florida | $58,308 | $10,411 | $47,897 | 59,146 |
| 9 | University of North Florida | $56,343 | $10,154 | $46,189 | 13,359 |
| 10 | George T Baker Aviation Technical College | $52,312 | $7,489 | $44,823 | 1,040 |
| 11 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach | $84,131 | $41,272 | $42,859 | 7,860 |
| 12 | Jacksonville University | $68,010 | $25,180 | $42,830 | 2,930 |
| 13 | AdventHealth University | $72,282 | $30,135 | $42,147 | 1,361 |
| 14 | Florida Gulf Coast University | $54,560 | $12,568 | $41,992 | 13,874 |
| 15 | St Petersburg College | $42,557 | $1,471 | $41,086 | 18,950 |
| 16 | University of West Florida | $49,137 | $9,364 | $39,773 | 9,330 |
| 17 | Florida State College at Jacksonville | $42,244 | $4,128 | $38,116 | 19,648 |
| 18 | University of Miami | $75,328 | $37,244 | $38,084 | 12,913 |
| 19 | Hillsborough College | $40,782 | $3,861 | $36,921 | 21,472 |
| 20 | Manatee Technical College | $38,129 | $1,808 | $36,321 | 1,486 |
| 21 | Chipola College | $37,378 | $1,133 | $36,245 | 1,312 |
| 22 | Florida SouthWestern State College | $43,421 | $7,247 | $36,174 | 11,052 |
| 23 | South Florida State College | $39,990 | $3,877 | $36,113 | 2,045 |
| 24 | Saint Johns River State College | $41,728 | $6,135 | $35,593 | 4,403 |
| 25 | Miami Dade College | $40,654 | $5,463 | $35,191 | 46,182 |
| 26 | Northwest Florida State College | $39,664 | $4,571 | $35,093 | 3,010 |
| 27 | Pasco-Hernando State College | $39,903 | $5,203 | $34,700 | 6,900 |
| 28 | Indian River State College | $38,315 | $3,815 | $34,500 | 11,822 |
| 29 | Lake-Sumter State College | $39,876 | $5,855 | $34,021 | 4,177 |
| 30 | Gulf Coast State College | $38,359 | $4,709 | $33,650 | 3,934 |
| 31 | Barry University | $55,966 | $22,613 | $33,353 | 2,212 |
| 32 | Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay | $61,480 | $28,197 | $33,283 | 1,465 |
| 33 | Pensacola State College | $36,739 | $3,957 | $32,782 | 7,538 |
| 34 | Seminole State College of Florida | $41,733 | $8,970 | $32,763 | 12,864 |
| 35 | Palm Beach State College | $41,923 | $9,182 | $32,741 | 21,956 |
| 36 | Florida Gateway College | $37,894 | $5,364 | $32,530 | 2,301 |
| 37 | Stetson University | $51,642 | $19,372 | $32,270 | 2,297 |
| 38 | Polk State College | $40,624 | $9,427 | $31,197 | 7,180 |
| 39 | Eastern Florida State College | $37,195 | $6,440 | $30,755 | 10,490 |
| 40 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | $44,349 | $13,739 | $30,610 | 7,582 |
| 41 | Santa Fe College | $41,631 | $11,098 | $30,533 | 11,122 |
| 42 | Daytona State College | $37,096 | $7,177 | $29,919 | 10,176 |
| 43 | Tallahassee State College | $37,561 | $7,781 | $29,780 | 11,053 |
| 44 | The College of the Florida Keys | $42,508 | $13,636 | $28,872 | 1,012 |
| 45 | Nova Southeastern University | $59,209 | $30,371 | $28,838 | 7,240 |
| 46 | Valencia College | $40,594 | $12,037 | $28,557 | 39,486 |
| 47 | Atlantic Technical College | $38,560 | $10,414 | $28,146 | 3,000 |
| 48 | St. Thomas University | $54,272 | $26,312 | $27,960 | 2,214 |
| 49 | Broward College | $41,939 | $14,506 | $27,433 | 24,922 |
| 50 | Saint Leo University | $48,364 | $21,293 | $27,071 | 6,721 |
| 51 | Florida Southern College | $55,294 | $28,551 | $26,743 | 2,656 |
| 52 | Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology | $47,792 | $21,276 | $26,516 | 1,315 |
| 53 | Sheridan Technical College | $33,166 | $6,677 | $26,489 | 1,352 |
| 54 | Bethune-Cookman University | $38,518 | $12,030 | $26,488 | 2,732 |
| 55 | College of Central Florida | $38,203 | $12,088 | $26,115 | 5,033 |
| 56 | Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College | $37,543 | $12,776 | $24,767 | 1,045 |
| 57 | Ave Maria University | $49,520 | $24,860 | $24,660 | 1,298 |
| 58 | Orange Technical College-South Campus | $33,350 | $9,215 | $24,135 | 1,124 |
| 59 | Strayer University-Florida | $40,092 | $16,064 | $24,028 | 1,107 |
| 60 | Suncoast Technical College | $40,621 | $16,917 | $23,704 | 1,116 |
| 61 | Rollins College | $58,295 | $34,732 | $23,563 | 2,631 |
| 62 | The University of Tampa | $59,436 | $36,211 | $23,225 | 10,572 |
| 63 | Edward Waters University | $34,782 | $13,649 | $21,133 | 1,087 |
| 64 | Palm Beach Atlantic University | $49,232 | $28,354 | $20,878 | 2,603 |
| 65 | Everglades University | $47,597 | $27,371 | $20,226 | 2,789 |
| 66 | Flagler College | $49,483 | $30,525 | $18,958 | 2,391 |
| 67 | State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota | $40,318 | $22,356 | $17,962 | 7,379 |
| 68 | Rasmussen University-Florida | $39,080 | $21,909 | $17,171 | 3,121 |
| 69 | Southeastern University | $46,744 | $31,942 | $14,802 | 4,813 |
| 70 | Eckerd College | $51,819 | $38,071 | $13,748 | 1,888 |
| 71 | Florida Memorial University | $36,624 | $23,238 | $13,386 | 1,183 |
| 72 | Florida National University-Main Campus | $33,928 | $23,043 | $10,885 | 2,449 |
| 73 | Southern Technical College | $29,893 | $20,623 | $9,270 | 1,875 |
| 74 | Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale | $39,696 | $30,498 | $9,198 | 17,678 |
| 75 | Ultimate Medical Academy | $29,194 | $20,457 | $8,737 | 8,932 |
| 76 | Florida Institute of Technology | $43,137 | $35,639 | $7,498 | 3,404 |
| 77 | Lynn University | $49,006 | $44,089 | $4,917 | 2,859 |
| 78 | Full Sail University | $38,219 | $38,875 | $-656 | 25,777 |
| 79 | South Florida Institute of Technology | $28,570 | $31,695 | $-3,125 | 9,747 |
| 80 | Ringling College of Art and Design | $43,325 | $57,742 | $-14,417 | 1,662 |
About This Ranking
Schools in Florida are ranked by the same value metric as the national best-value list: 10-year median earnings minus average net price. Only operating schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates and both figures published are included. Ties break toward larger enrollment. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See methodology.
Caveats and limitations
"Best" here means the largest earnings-minus-price gap among eligible Florida schools - not teaching quality, campus life, or the right fit for any applicant. Program mix (for example nursing or engineering) can lift institution-level earnings without proving a stronger undergraduate experience.
Earnings cover federally aided students only and describe a lagged cohort. Net price averages aided students and will not match every family's bill. Always open the school profile for completion, debt, and program detail.
This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.