11 Florida Colleges Rank Best For Value

TAMPA, FL — Floridians seeking the biggest bang for their buck when it’s time to send their kids to college will find the Sunshine State is a pretty good place to be. Eleven schools across Florida ranked among the best college values in the country, according to Money magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money” report.

The University of Florida in Gainesville came in first-place in the state for value and 18th overall in the rankings that include hundreds of schools across the country. Florida State University in Tallahassee came in second in the state and 251st overall, according to the analysis of more than 700 of the nation’s best-performing colleges.

Get the Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox.

Money said the ranking is “new, uniquely practical analysis” that draws on research and advice from some of the nation’s leading experts on education quality, financing and value.

Here’s how Florida’s 11-ranked schools stacked up overall nationally:

• University of Florida – 18th place
• Florida State University – 251st place
• University of Miami – 277th place
• University of South Florida, Tampa – 374th place
• University of Central Florida – 422nd place
• Florida International University – 455th place
• University of North Florida – 525th place
• Ringling College of Art and Design – 620th place
• Stetson University – 655th place
• Rollins College – 672nd place

As for the University of Florida’s top 20 ranking, Money called the school “one of the best bargains in higher education.” Tuition for Floridians is about $6,300 a year with about 88 percent of undergraduates getting state or other grant aid, the magazine noted. The school has an 87 percent graduation rate with an average time to degree of 4.3 years.

To read the full list and find out what Money had to say about other Florida schools, visit the magazine’s website.

Patch’s Beth Dalby contributed to this story.

Photo via the University of South Florida Facebook page