Best Online Colleges & Universities in Florida [2020 Ranked & Reviewed]

Students have the ability to earn their college degrees from wherever they choose due to the increased popularity on online college. College and universities throughout the country have been adding online degrees and programs to their curriculum – online colleges in Florida are no exception. Technology has played a major role in the increased popularity of online college. For more information on the best online colleges and universities in the United States, check out our rankings .

As online degrees and education become more popular, the value of an online education is continuing to increase. In the past, employers may have looked down on someone who decided to earn their degree online – this has changed. Employers no longer discriminate against those who decided to earn their degree online. More and more big name schools are starting to add online degrees to their core offerings, check out our rankings of the best online colleges in Florida below.

Best Online Colleges in the U.S.

Best Online Colleges by State

Complete Guide to Online Degrees

List of Best Online Colleges in Florida

University of Florida

$4,477 In-State Tuition
$25,694 Out-Of-State Tuition
39% Acceptance Rate

Florida International University

$4,721 In-State Tuition
$16,529 Out-Of-State Tuition
84% Acceptance Rate

University of Central Florida

$4,478 In-State Tuition
$19,810 Out-Of-State Tuition
43% Acceptance Rate

University of South Florida

$4,559 In-State Tuition
$15,473 Out-Of-State Tuition
43% Acceptance Rate

Best Online Colleges & Universities in Florida

Most Affordable Online Colleges in Florida

Best Academic Online Colleges in Florida

Our team took many different factors into consideration when ranking the best online colleges in Florida. Some of the criteria our team looked at included retention rates, graduation rates, and percentage of students actually enrolled in online courses. While those were some of the factors we looked at, our team looked at more than 10 different factors when compiling the rankings.

One of the most important things for our team to keep in mind when conducting these online college rankings was the fact that most of these schools offer both a traditional experience and an online experience. We considered many factors when ranking these online colleges but tried to specifically look at the online aspect of these colleges. A good example of this is looking at the percentage of students that are actually enrolled in online courses at the schools.

When ranking the best online colleges in Florida, we only included public 4-year universities or private 4-year, not-for-profit colleges. We also only included online colleges that offered at least 2 completely online undergraduate degrees. Check out our rankings of the best online colleges in Florida below.

Sort and Expand Tables

Feel free to sort the tables below based on the criteria most important to you. Expand the tables to see the full rankings for the best online colleges in Florida.

Best Online Colleges in Florida

Rank	Institution Name	# Bachelors Programs Offered	# Masters Programs Offered	In-State Tuition	Out-Of-State Tuition
1	University of Florida	14	43	4,477	25,694
2	Florida International University	34	27	4,721	16,529
3	University of Central Florida	19	26	4,478	19,810
4	University of South Florida-Main Campus	3	21	4,559	15,473
5	Florida Atlantic University	11	13	2,522	14,374
6	The University of West Florida	8	13	4,319	16,587
7	The Baptist College of Florida	14	2	10,500	10,500
8	Florida Institute of Technology-Online	11	13	15,810	15,810
9	Nova Southeastern University	9	45	29,940	29,940
10	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale	20	13	19,008	19,008
11	Florida Gulf Coast University	3	4	4,191	22,328
12	Florida Southern College	2	3	35,600	35,600
13	Bethune-Cookman University	8	3	13,844	13,844
14	Southeastern University	9	5	24,870	24,870
15	Hobe Sound Bible College	9	0	5,750	5,750
16	Herzing University-Winter Park	8	1	13,130	13,130
17	Hodges University	14	12	13,680	13,680
18	Ave Maria University	4	1	19,978	19,978
19	Stetson University	2	4	45,670	45,670
20	Northwest Florida State College	3	0	2,496	9,425
21	Saint Leo University	20	25	22,400	22,400
22	Seminole State College of Florida	4	0	2,393	9,494
23	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide	16	15	9,360	9,360
24	Everglades University	11	4	16,800	16,800
25	AdventHealth University	3	3	11,640	11,640
26	St. Thomas University	5	9	30,900	30,900
27	Warner University	5	3	21,144	21,144
28	St Petersburg College	13	0	1,943	7,774
29	Lynn University	10	6	35,960	35,960
30	South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary	6	6	6,600	6,600
31	Palm Beach Atlantic University	5	1	30,990	30,990
32	Trinity College of Florida	4	0	15,300	15,300
33	Florida Gateway College	3	0	2,369	9,473
34	Barry University	6	7	29,700	29,700
35	Polk State College	3	0	2,483	9,933

The Best of the Best

The above table is our findings on the best online colleges in Florida. For our complete rankings, our team looked at various factors ranging across three different categories. The three major categories that our factors were grouped into were academics, affordability, and an online college category. We gathered a large portion of the information from the National Center for Education and filled in missing information through a manual process. Every one of the above categories was assigned a different weight dependent on what our team thought was most significant for students looking to enroll in online college in Florida. Want to see which online colleges ranked best in the affordability or academics? Check out our rankings for the most affordable online colleges and best academic online colleges in Florida below.

Our rankings should be used as a resource for students considering an online education. We encourage students to conduct their own research after referencing our rankings. Some students may put more importance on some factors versus other factors. Use our list as a guide to help narrow down your search for the best online colleges in Florida. Read below for more information on the top 5 online colleges in Florida from our findings.

University of Florida

No surprise here. University of Florida was also ranked as the best online college in the United States. The University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and has 52,218 students. Students can pursue degree in biology, business administration, computer science, criminology, and other various degrees. All online!

Bachelors Programs Offered – 14
Masters Programs Offered – 43
Graduation Rate – 90%
Retention Rate – 97%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 82%
% Students Admitted- 39%

University of Florida Website

Florida International University

Florida International University has 33,478 students and is located in Miami, Florida. Students who attend FIU can earn degrees economics, English, electrical engineering, and finance. FIU offers an astounding 34 online bachelors programs. Also on our list of best online colleges in the United States.

Bachelors Programs Offered – 34
Masters Programs Offered – 27
Graduation Rate – 58%
Retention Rate – 83%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 52%
% Students Admitted- 84%

FIU Website

University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and has 68,475 students. Some of UCF’s most popular online bachelors programs include nursing, psychology, and anthropology.

Bachelors Programs Offered – 19
Masters Programs Offered – 26
Graduation Rate – 73%
Retention Rate – 90%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 64%
% Students Admitted- 43%

UCF Website

University of South Florida

University of South Florida is located in Tampa, Florida. USF is a public research university and is the fourth largest public university in Florida. USF has an enrollment of 50,755. Some online masters programs offered at USF include gerontology, social work, and behavior analysis.

Bachelors Programs Offered – 3
Masters Programs Offered – 21
Graduation Rate – 67%
Retention Rate – 91%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 64%
% Students Admitted- 43%

USF Website

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton, Florida. There are currently 33,478 students enrolled at Florida Atlantic. FAU offers 11 online bachelors programs and 13 online masters programs. Some online bachelors programs include bachelors in marketing, accounting, computer science, and nursing.

Bachelors Programs Offered – 11
Masters Programs Offered – 13
Graduation Rate – 52%
Retention Rate – 83%
% Students Receiving Financial Aid – 52%
% Students Admitted- 84%

FAU Website

Most Affordable Online Colleges in Florida

What if you want to know the best online colleges in Florida based on affordability factors? We got you. The below rankings are based soley on affordability factors. Some factors included in these rankings were in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition, and the percentage of students who received any sort of financial aid. Click through the table below to see which online colleges in Florida were ranked the most affordable.

Rank	Institution Name	In-State Tuition	Out-Of-State Tuition	% Who Receive Undergraduate Aid
1	Northwest Florida State College	2,496	9,425	59
2	St Petersburg College	1,943	7,774	49
3	The Baptist College of Florida	10,500	10,500	84
4	Herzing University-Winter Park	13,130	13,130	90
5	Bethune-Cookman University	13,844	13,844	91
6	Florida Gateway College	2,369	9,473	42
7	Hobe Sound Bible College	5,750	5,750	58
8	Seminole State College of Florida	2,393	9,494	51
9	Trinity College of Florida	15,300	15,300	87
10	Florida International University	4,721	16,529	72
11	Polk State College	2,483	9,933	40
12	Florida Atlantic University	2,522	14,374	57
13	South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary	6,600	6,600	41
14	University of South Florida-Main Campus	4,559	15,473	64
15	Hodges University	13,680	13,680	67
16	The University of West Florida	4,319	16,587	62
17	University of Florida	4,477	25,694	82
18	AdventHealth University	11,640	11,640	59
19	Ave Maria University	19,978	19,978	97
20	Warner University	21,144	21,144	98
21	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide	9,360	9,360	39
22	University of Central Florida	4,478	19,810	64
23	Florida Institute of Technology-Online	15,810	15,810	70
24	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale	19,008	19,008	82
25	Florida Gulf Coast University	4,191	22,328	51
26	Nova Southeastern University	29,940	29,940	87
27	Florida Southern College	35,600	35,600	96
28	Everglades University	16,800	16,800	54
29	Stetson University	45,670	45,670	99
30	Barry University	29,700	29,700	81
31	Saint Leo University	22,400	22,400	66
32	Southeastern University	24,870	24,870	69
33	Palm Beach Atlantic University	30,990	30,990	78
34	Lynn University	35,960	35,960	83
35	St. Thomas University	30,900	30,900	30

Best Academic Online Colleges in Florida

As colleges an universities across the country are adapting to this new age of technology, more and more schools are adding online programs to their course offerings. As this is happening, more prestigious schools are offering online programs. If academics are most important to you, check out our rankings of the best academic online colleges in Florida.

Rank	Institution Name	Retention Rate	Graduation Rate	Acceptance Rate
1	University of Florida	97	87	39
2	University of South Florida-Main Campus	91	67	43
3	University of Central Florida	90	69	43
4	Florida Southern College	82	59	50
5	Florida International University	90	56	59
6	The University of West Florida	80	49	42
7	Florida Institute of Technology-Online	80	57	65
8	Florida Atlantic University	82	50	59
9	Stetson University	76	64	68
10	Florida Gulf Coast University	78	46	65
11	Nova Southeastern University	79	50	79
12	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale	79	72	100
13	Ave Maria University	72	65	83
14	Hobe Sound Bible College	77	75	100
15	Southeastern University	72	41	48
16	The Baptist College of Florida	76	53	85
17	St. Thomas University	72	41	52
18	Everglades University	65	52	69
19	Palm Beach Atlantic University	75	51	95
20	AdventHealth University	66	54	87
21	Lynn University	72	45	70
22	Warner University	55	33	35
23	Saint Leo University	72	40	60
24	Seminole State College of Florida	84	43	100
25	Northwest Florida State College	85	40	100
26	Herzing University-Winter Park	50	47	94
27	Bethune-Cookman University	65	33	79
28	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide	48	24	63
29	Hodges University	48	21	77
30	Barry University	62	31	91
31	Trinity College of Florida	40	31	83
32	South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary	63	33	100
33	St Petersburg College	69	17	100
34	Florida Gateway College	35	40	100
35	Polk State College	33	20	100

Rankings

Our online college rankings for the state of Florida took a lot of different criteria into consideration. We only looked at 4-year public colleges or universities and 4-year private, not-for-profit colleges. We also only considered schools that offered at least 2 undergraduate online programs.

After compiling a list of colleges that met the above criteria, we looked at various factors that we felt were important when ranking online colleges. We looked at retention rates, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, number of online course offerings, and other various online college factors.

Online College FAQS

Which online university is the best in Florida?

According to our findings, the University of Florida is the best online college in Florida. As well as being one of the top online programs in Florida, they are also a nationally ranked online school in the United States.

What is the best academic online college in Florida?

The University of Florida was also rated as our top choice for best academic online colleges. With a retention rate of 97%, graduation rate of 87%, and acceptance rate of 39%, the University of Florida is a great choice for students looking to pursue an online education.

Are online degrees worth the money?

Online degrees are 100% worth the money. More schools are adding online education degrees and programs because the demand is there. Students want to be able to learn wherever is most convenient for them and schools are taking note. As more schools offer online education, the value of these degrees continues to increase.

Best Online Colleges in Florida