Colleges in Florida

Florida is known for its palm trees, warm weather and sandy beaches, which makes it an ideal destination for obtaining a college degree. There are over 500 universities and colleges in Florida. The Florida College System is comprised of 28 public colleges, including 12 four-year universities. Two of these - Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of Florida in Gainesville - consistently rank as top schools not only in academics, but also in their university sports programs.

The state university program is governed by an elected chancellor and administered by the Florida Board of Governors, per an amendment to the state constitution. The Florida Department of Education is the association that oversees all public schools in Florida.

The University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Fla., is the largest in the entire state, with an annual enrollment of over 56,000 students. UCF offers bachelor through doctoral degrees, with emphasis in the fields of hospitality, engineering, education and health sciences.

The University of Florida is the second-largest Florida university, with just over 50,000 students. U of F is well known for programs in health and veterinary sciences, law, business and education. The Florida Gators consistently rank in the top of the NCAA Division 1 Southeastern Conference (SEC) in football, basketball and baseball. The team’s namesake also provided the name of the sports drink known as "Gatorade," which was developed on the UF campus.

The Florida State University is located in Florida's capital city, on a beautiful, sprawling tree-lined campus of brick buildings. The FSU Seminoles participate in the NCAA Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference and are dominant contenders in football, baseball, and basketball. FSU is known for their liberal arts, social sciences, business and communication programs. Florida State is also one of the eminent graduate research schools in the nation.

Miami is home to the University of Miami, part of The Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida (ICUF). This association of Florida colleges is comprised of over 28 private colleges and universities. The University of Miami has one of the top marine biology programs in the country. Medicine, law and international education are also notable programs.

Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla., is one of the most prestigious Florida colleges in the country. This private Florida school is affiliated with the ICUF and is often referred to as the "Harvard of the South." Rollins has more than 30 degrees in arts and sciences, with emphasis on the liberal arts. There is a history museum and a performing arts center on the campus.

There are also plenty of specialized schools in Florida. The Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach trains students for careers in aeronautics while the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota focuses on fine art and other art-related degrees. There are Florida colleges that focus on nursing and other medical sciences. There’s even a college that specializes in Oriental medicine. Florida schools have something for everyone in pursuit of higher education.

About Florida State

Florida is the peninsula state of America. Bordered on one side by the Gulf of Mexico and the other by the Atlantic Ocean, it has the nation’s longest coastline of approximately 1,350 miles. Nicknamed "The Sunshine State", Florida’s climate is sub-tropical and most of the state is at sea level. It is the 22nd largest state and has the fourth largest population as well as fourth largest economy.

The state's economic development is primarily driven by its 19 metropolitan areas. Of those areas, Jacksonville is the largest Florida city and Miami-Dade its largest metro area. Tourism is one of the biggest economic sectors, stimulated by the climate, the beaches and the theme parks. The Walt Disney World Resort area in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which is just outside of Orlando, is home to four theme parks and is the largest vacation resort area in the world. Universal Studios Orlando, Sea World and Busch Gardens in Tampa draw millions of visitors every year to the Central Florida area.

Construction is another major industry in Florida. The many tourists that relocate from colder climates to enjoy the warm, sunny weather motivate development. The lack of a state personal income tax also fuels relocation. However, Florida suffered a huge financial shock during the real estate crash in 2008. The same climate that attracted so many "snow birds" was also responsible for some devastating hurricanes in 2004, and Hurricane Andrew, in 1992, was one of the costliest hurricanes in the nation, with the Miami area taking the brunt of this Category 5 storm.

A need to diversify economics was evident and former Governor Jeb Busch targeted the biomedical sector. Orlando became home to a huge biosciences cluster of development, along with technology spurred by the aerospace industry. Since NASA landed in Titusville in 1962, the Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach area became known as the "Space Coast". Florida has a sizable military presence, with 24 military bases, including Central Command in Tampa. The military gave rise to the defense industry, another major economic contributor.

Agriculture is the second largest state industry. Citrus is an important part of that industry, and most of the citrus fruit in the United States is grown in Florida. The state is also the largest contributor of sweet corn and green beans for the country. With all of its coastline, as well as its many lakes and the Everglades, fishing is a huge industry in Florida, employing over 60,000 people.

Florida's diverse population has made international banking another important economic area. The large Hispanic population is comprised of Cuban-Americans in Miami, Puerto Rico descendants in Orlando and Tampa, and Central America migrant workers inland in the agricultural regions. According to the 2010 US Census, over 22 percent of Florida's population is of Latin American heritage. Though the Hispanic segment is becoming more affluent, low wages in tourism, hospitality and agriculture made the state 27th in the nation in per capita income in 2011, with an average income of $39,500 per individual.

Found 430 Post-Secondary Schools In Florida


Title City State Type Enrollment
Palm Beach Atlantic University - West Palm Beach West Palm Beach FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 2295
Palm Beach Community College Lake Worth FL 2-year public 17326
Pasco - Hernando Community College New Port Richey FL 2-year public 5165
Pensacola Bible Institute Pensacola FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Pensacola Christian College Pensacola FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Pensacola Junior College Pensacola FL 2-year public 9985
Phoenix East Aviation Daytona Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Pinellas Mechanical Pipe Trade Jac Pinellas Park FL 2-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Pinellas Technical Education Center Saint Petersburg FL 2-year public 1232
Pinellas Technical Education Center - Clearwater Clearwater FL 2-year public 1417
Polk Community College Winter Haven FL 2-year public 5611
Port St Lucie Beauty Academy Port St Lucie FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Powells Beauty Academy Inc Gainesville FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Praxis Institute Miami FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 176
Professional Flight Training Fort Lauderdale FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Professional Training Centers Miami FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 157
Prospect Hall School of Business Hollywood FL 2-year private, for-profit 94
Radford M Locklin Technical Center Milton FL 2-year public 322
Reformed Theological Seminary Oviedo FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Rehbergs Hairstyling Academy Lake City FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 38
Remington College - Largo Largo FL 2-year private, for-profit 274
Remington College - Tampa Tampa FL 4-year private, for-profit 1244
Ridge Career Center Winter Haven FL 2-year public 156
Ringling School of Art and Design Sarasota FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 958
Riverside Hairstyling Academy Jacksonville FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 67
Robert Morgan Educational Center Miami FL 2-year public 1075
Rollins College Winter Park FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 3553
Rollins College - Brevard Campus West Melbourne FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Rti Technical Institute Pensacola FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 59
Saint John Vianney College Seminary Miami FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 77
Saint Johns River Community College Palatka FL 2-year public 4512
Saint Leo University Saint Leo FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 8720
Saint Thomas University Miami Gardens FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 2295
Saint Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary Boynton Beach FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 102
Sanford - Brown Institute - Ft. Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale FL 2-year private, for-profit 668
Sanford - Brown Institute - Tampa Tampa FL 2-year private, for-profit 285
Santa Fe Community College Gainesville FL 2-year public 12464
Sarah Parker Modeling and Makeup Artistry School West Palm Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Sarasota County Technical Institute Sarasota FL 2-year public 963
Sarasota School of Massage Therapy Sarasota FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 80
Sarasota Travel School Sarasota FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Schiller International University Dunedin FL 4-year private, for-profit 257
School of Real Estate Daytona Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Sea School Saint Petersburg FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Sea School Panama City FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Sea School Fort Lauderdale FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Seminar Network International Inc Lake Worth FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Seminole Community College Sanford FL 2-year public 9042
Ser Ibm Business Institute Pembroke Pines FL Less than 2-year private, not-for-profit 13
Sheridan Technical Center Hollywood FL 2-year public 1487
South Dade Skill Center Leisure City FL Less than 2-year public No Data
South Florida Baptist Bible Institute Fort Lauderdale FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
South Florida Bible College and Theological Sem Deerfield Beach FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
South Florida Community College Avon Park FL 2-year public 2199
South Florida School of Floral Design Lake Worth FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
South University - West Palm Beach West Palm Beach FL 4-year private, for-profit 381
Southards Racing School New Smyrna Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Southeastern Academy Kissimmee FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 284
Southeastern University Lakeland FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 1232
Southern Baptist Center for Biblical Studies Jacksonville FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Southern College Orlando FL 2-year private, for-profit 318
Sowell Aviation Co Inc Panama City FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Spurgeon Baptist Bible College Mulberry FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 35
St Petersburg College Clearwater FL 2-year public 19900
St Petersburg Theological Seminary Saint Petersburg FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
Star Academy for Pet Stylists Stuart FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville Inc Jacksonville FL 2-year private, for-profit 209
Stetson University Deland FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 3199
Stewarts International School for Jewelers Inc Jupiter FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Suncoast Ii the Tampa Bay School of Massage Therapy Llc Tampa FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 122
Sunstate Academy Clearwater FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 57
Sunstate Academy Sarasota FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 21
Sunstate Academy Fort Myers FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 66
Suwannee - Hamilton Technical Center Live Oak FL 2-year public 88
Tallahassee Community College Tallahassee FL 2-year public 10816
Talmudic College of Florida Miami Beach FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 51
Tampa Bay Career Academy Tampa FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Taylor Technical Institute Perry FL 2-year public 441
Technical Career Institute Miami FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit 309
Technical Education Center - Osceola Kissimmee FL Less than 2-year public No Data
The Academy Lakeland FL 2-year private, for-profit 332
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale Inc Fort Lauderdale FL 4-year private, for-profit 3145
The Baptist College of Florida Graceville FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 549
The Cdl School Miami FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
The Nail Academy Inc Orlando FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
The Romanian Theological Institute Hollywood FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
The Travel School of Fort Myers Fort Myers FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
The Union Institute North Miami Beach FL 4-year private, not-for-profit No Data
The University of Tampa Tampa FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 3452
The University of West Florida Pensacola FL 4-year public 8479
Tom P Haney Technical Center Panama City FL 2-year public 443
Tony Sylvesters Abc of Bartending West Palm Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Total Nails Academy Inc West Palm Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Travel Career Institute Boca Raton FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Travel Professionals Institute Pompano Beach FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data
Traviss Career Center Lakeland FL 2-year public 4380
Trinity Baptist College Jacksonville FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 362
Trinity College of Florida Trinity FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 147
Trinity International University Miami FL 4-year private, not-for-profit 334
U S Schools Miami FL Less than 2-year private, for-profit No Data

Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

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