Best Online Colleges in Florida of 2024

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Florida, the Sunshine State, is home to a vibrant economy that may be well-known for its tourism but also is strong when it comes to technology, business services, manufacturing, and more. As of November 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Florida had grown its non-farm labor market by 5.7%. To maintain this growth, Florida fosters a rich educational tradition that is now growing to include online degree programs.

In fact, over half of all undergraduate students in Florida are attending bachelor’s degree programs that are exclusively offered via an online portal. Where distance learning used to be a rarity, online videos and other technologies have made it a viable option for everyone. Online degree programs hold the same sorts of accreditation as traditional programs, as well as the same financial aid and many of the same degree options.

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Online Higher Education in Florida

Students in Florida have a range of choices when it comes to their college or university experience. The state supports large public universities that feature full research facilities, community colleges, and exclusive private colleges and universities. With these come a wide range in costs as well as online education options.

Online higher education is on the rise in Florida. Younger students are growing up with a mixture of online and classroom educational models, so they are all the more willing to take courses online. In fact, of Florida's one million college and university students, nearly half are taking classes exclusively online. And around a quarter of the total are taking at least some of their courses through an online portal. This leaves only one quarter of all Florida students in higher education are taking courses exclusively in a traditional environment.

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These numbers track well when looking at graduate and undergraduate students. Where there are 940,000 undergraduate students in Florida, over 500,000 of them are taking courses exclusively online. In fact, a majority (54%) of Florida's undergraduate student population are online only. The percentage falls just a touch when researchers look at Florida's graduate student population. Florida's graduate students are still likely to take their degrees in online-only programs, 3% fewer graduate students opt for a 100% online degree.

When it comes to the cost of a Florida education, it clearly pays to be a state resident. This is because the average tuition and fees for a Floridian who is attending a public university in Florida are under $4,000. Meanwhile, a non-Florida resident who attends one of the state colleges and universities will pay nearly $18,000, on average. For those who opt for a private education, the University of Miami and Rollins College offer a traditional undergraduate education for around $52,000 per year. As for living costs, students in Florida pay an average of between $14,000 and $15,000 for on and off campus living, respectively.

Our School Rankings Methodology

When our educational researchers evaluated Florida's colleges and universities, they employed several statistical measures to determine the overall value of each institution. For the purpose of this study, our researchers made sure that the institutions offered online degrees. After establishing that baseline, researchers weighed each school's retention rate, graduation rate, average graduating salaries, student to faculty ratio, and overall reputation. These factors help researchers arrive at an objective evaluation that students and their families can use on conjunction with more subjective factors such as location, family heritage, desired degrees, or favorite sports teams.

The retention rate is one factor that many students and their families will want to consider. This is the rate at which first-time, full-time students return to their Florida campus for a second year. When students return for a second year, it's assumed that they have found a great value in the school's curriculum, faculty, campus resources, and even student body.