Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in Florida
CampusPin lists 163 colleges in Florida. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $3,087 and a median average net price of $7,177 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
Florida college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College ($1,520)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $3,087
- Median net price after aid (39 reporting)
- $7,177
- Highest graduation rate
- Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College (93%)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of Central Florida (69,713 students)
Florida colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College | $1,520 | $1,520 | Not reported | 93% | Not reported | Private | Tampa, FL |
| Tallahassee Community College | $2,026 | $8,062 | $7,781 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Tallahassee, FL |
| Pensacola State College | $2,361 | $9,460 | $2,254 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Pensacola, FL |
| Gulf Coast State College | $2,370 | $8,635 | $2,339 | 43% | Open admission | Public | Panama City, FL |
| Eastern Florida State College | $2,496 | $9,739 | $6,440 | 52% | Open admission | Public | Melbourne, FL |
| Hillsborough Community College | $2,506 | $9,111 | $3,861 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Tampa, FL |
| Santa Fe College | $2,563 | $9,189 | $11,098 | 53% | Open admission | Public | Gainesville, FL |
| Northwest Florida State College | $2,583 | $10,612 | $4,571 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Niceville, FL |
| Saint Johns River State College | $2,591 | $9,335 | $6,135 | 49% | Open admission | Public | Palatka, FL |
| Valencia College | $2,664 | $9,576 | $12,037 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Orlando, FL |
| St Petersburg College | $2,682 | $9,286 | $1,471 | 38% | Open admission | Public | St. Petersburg, FL |
| Polk State College | $2,694 | $9,817 | $9,427 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Winter Haven, FL |
| College of Central Florida | $2,710 | $10,517 | $12,088 | 44% | Open admission | Public | Ocala, FL |
| Indian River State College | $2,764 | $10,201 | $3,815 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Fort Pierce, FL |
| Broward College | $2,830 | $8,952 | $14,506 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| Miami Dade College | $2,838 | $9,661 | $5,463 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Miami, FL |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville | $2,878 | $9,992 | $2,760 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Jacksonville, FL |
| Palm Beach State College | $3,050 | $10,910 | $9,182 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Lake Worth, FL |
| North Florida College | $3,054 | $11,400 | $1,799 | 59% | Open admission | Public | Madison, FL |
| State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota | $3,074 | $11,595 | $22,356 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Bradenton, FL |
| Florida Gateway College | $3,100 | $11,747 | $2,915 | 54% | Open admission | Public | Lake City, FL |
| Daytona State College | $3,106 | $11,994 | $7,177 | 43% | Open admission | Public | Daytona Beach, FL |
| Chipola College | $3,120 | $8,950 | $1,133 | 53% | Open admission | Public | Marianna, FL |
| Seminole State College of Florida | $3,122 | $11,447 | $3,119 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Sanford, FL |
| Pasco-Hernando State College | $3,155 | $12,032 | $5,203 | 41% | Open admission | Public | New Port Richey, FL |
| South Florida State College | $3,165 | $11,859 | $3,877 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Avon Park, FL |
| The College of the Florida Keys | $3,276 | $13,162 | $13,636 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Key West, FL |
| Lake-Sumter State College | $3,292 | $13,276 | $5,855 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Leesburg, FL |
| Florida SouthWestern State College | $3,401 | $12,979 | $7,247 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Fort Myers, FL |
| University of Florida-Online | $3,876 | $16,579 | $4,815 | 85% | 61% | Public | Gainesville, FL |
| Florida Atlantic University | $4,879 | $17,324 | $8,752 | 63% | 66% | Public | Boca Raton, FL |
| Florida Polytechnic University | $4,940 | $21,005 | $11,853 | 55% | 58% | Public | Lakeland, FL |
| Florida State University | $5,656 | $18,786 | $11,297 | 86% | 24% | Public | Tallahassee, FL |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | $5,785 | $17,725 | $13,739 | 53% | 21% | Public | Tallahassee, FL |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | $6,118 | $25,162 | $12,568 | 57% | 63% | Public | Fort Myers, FL |
| University of West Florida | $6,360 | $19,241 | $9,364 | 59% | 58% | Public | Pensacola, FL |
| University of Central Florida | $6,368 | $22,467 | $10,411 | 78% | 40% | Public | Orlando, FL |
| University of Florida | $6,381 | $28,659 | $6,541 | 91% | 24% | Public | Gainesville, FL |
| University of North Florida | $6,389 | $20,793 | $10,154 | 69% | 53% | Public | Jacksonville, FL |
| University of South Florida | $6,410 | $17,324 | $9,812 | 77% | 43% | Public | Tampa, FL |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the Florida cost data shows
- Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $1,520 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $3,100 across the public colleges here and $1,520 across the private ones — a $1,580 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $7,177 across the 39 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
- 39 of the 40 colleges listed report an average net price, and 40 report a graduation rate. Blank cells mean the institution has not reported that figure to the federal collections — not that the value is zero.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for Florida, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (163 of 163 Florida institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in Florida?
- Of the 40 Florida colleges on this page, Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College in Tampa reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $1,520 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 39 Florida colleges reporting it here the median is $7,177. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in Florida?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $3,100 at the public colleges listed and $1,520 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a Florida college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for Florida colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in Florida. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/florida