Resources › For Students and Parents Top Florida Colleges Learn about the Top Colleges and Universities in Florida Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 09, 2019 Florida has some excellent colleges and universities as well as a relatively affordable public university system. This list of the top Florida colleges includes large universities, small colleges, and both public and private institutions. The top colleges listed below vary so much in size and type of school that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. Comparing a college like New College of Florida with fewer than 1,000 students to UCF with over 60,000 within a numerical ranking would be dubious at best. Eckerd College Franklin Templeton Building at Eckerd College. Allen Grove Location: St. Petersburg, Florida Enrollment: 2,046 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: 188-acre waterfront campus; chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa; 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; popular marine science and environmental studies programs; strong study abroad program; one of the 40 schools to appear in Loren Pope's College That Change Lives Explore Campus: Eckerd College Photo Tour For more information and admissions data, visit the Eckerd College profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Eckerd Flagler College Proctor Library at Flagler College - The Main Library at Flagler College. Photo by Allen Grove Location: St. Augustine, Florida Enrollment: 2,621 (2,614 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: Historic main building was once the Hotel Ponce de Leon; average class size of 20; low tuition and excellent value; located in a popular tourist town For more information and admissions data, visit the Flagler College profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Flagler Florida Institute of Technology (FIT, Florida Tech) Florida Institute of Technology. Jamesontai / Wikimedia Commons Location: Melbourne, Florida Enrollment: 6,451 (3,629 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private technical research university Distinctions: Strong science and engineering programs; strong ROTC program; good value; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 30-acre botanical garden; significant online programs; Division II athletics For more information and admissions data, visit the Florida Tech profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Florida Tech Florida International University FIU - Florida International University. Comayagua99 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Miami, Florida Enrollment: 55,003 (45,856 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: Diverse student body; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; athletics compete in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Florida International University profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Florida International Read More Top Colleges and Universities in the Southeast By Allen Grove Florida State University Florida State University. J-a-x / Flickr Location: Tallahassee, Florida Enrollment: 41,173 (32,933 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: Flagship campus of Florida's state university system; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; Seminole's compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Florida State profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Florida State New College of Florida Cook Hall at New College of Florida. Photo Credit: Allen Grove Location: Sarasota, Florida Enrollment: 875 (861 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public liberal arts college Distinctions: One of the top public liberal arts colleges; excellent value; interesting student-centered curriculum with no traditional majors; emphasis on independent study; written evaluations rather than grades; located right on the Gulf of Mexico Explore Campus: New College photo tour For more information and admissions data, visit the New College profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for New College Rollins College Rollins College. mwhaling / Flickr Location: Winter Park, Florida Enrollment: 3,240 (2,642 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive private liberal arts college Distinctions: 10 to 1 student/faculty ratio; located on the shores of Lake Virginia; top rated among master's-level universities in the South; strong commitment to international learning; member of the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Rollins College profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Rollins Stetson University Stetson University. kellyv / Flickr Location: DeLand, Florida Enrollment: 4,357 (3,089 undergraduates) Type of Institution: small private comprehensive university Distinctions: Historic campus; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; popular pre-professional programs; member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Sun Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the Stetson University profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Stetson University of Central Florida (UCF) UCF. bluemodern / Flickr Location: Orlando, Florida Enrollment: 64,088 (55,723 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: Burnett Honors College offers a more intimate educational experience for high achieving students; 12 satellite campuses; 30 to 1 student / faculty ratio; UCF Knights compete in the NCAA Division 1 American Athletic Conference Explore the Campus: UCF Photo Tour For more information and admissions data, visit the UCF profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCF University of Florida University of Florida. randomduck / Flickr Location: Gainesville, Florida Explore the Campus: University of Florida Photo Tour Enrollment: 52,367 (34,554 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; strong pre-professional areas such as business, engineering and the health sciences; Gators compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the University of Florida profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Florida University of Miami University of Miami. SeanLucas / Flickr Location: Coral Gables, Florida Enrollment: 16,744 (10,792 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private research university Distinctions: Top-rated program in Marine Biology; popular business and nursing programs; diverse student population; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; Hurricanes compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the University of Miami profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Miami University of South Florida (USF) USF Water Tower. sylvar / Flickr Location: Tampa, Florida Enrollment: 42,861 (31,461 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public research university Distinctions: 180 undergraduate majors offered through 14 colleges; diverse student body; Honors College for high-achieving students; strong ROTC program; active Greek system; Bulls compete in the Division I Big East Conference For more information and admissions data, visit the USF profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for USF More Top Colleges and Universities South Atlantic Region. If you're interested in attending college in the South but aren't limiting your search to Florida, be sure to check out these articles: Top Georgia Colleges and Universities Top Southeastern Colleges and Universities Top South Central Colleges and Universities Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Florida Colleges." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-florida-colleges-788306. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Top Florida Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-florida-colleges-788306 Grove, Allen. "Top Florida Colleges." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-florida-colleges-788306 (accessed March 29, 2024). copy citation