2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida
14
Ranked Colleges
622
Degrees Awarded
$20,100
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools in Florida” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Florida, there were 622 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,816 and $24,049 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Florida” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Education Schools in Florida”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Education Schools in Florida
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Florida.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for General Education in Florida
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools in Florida. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
UF also made our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $5,135 for Florida Education students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at University of Florida
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida Gulf Coast University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools in Florida. Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution located in Fort Myers, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
FGCU also made our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Gulf Coast University is $11,299 for florida education students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Florida Gulf Coast University
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida Atlantic University landed the #3 spot on the list. Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
FAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list. It costs about $10,735 for Florida Education students per year to attend FAU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Florida Atlantic University General Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida list. University of Central Florida is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 82 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UCF also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $8,618 for Florida Education students per year to attend University of Central Florida.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at UCF
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Nova Southeastern University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida list. This large school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 296 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our florida education students list, NUS Florida has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $25,833 for florida education students per year to attend NUS Florida.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at NUS Florida
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
USF Tampa also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $8,346 for Florida Education students per year to attend USF Tampa.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at University of South Florida - Main Campus
Saint Leo University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #7. Saint Leo, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
St. Leo University also made our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Saint Leo University is $18,445 for florida education students.
Full Saint Leo University General Education Report
Flagler College - St Augustine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking. Flagler St. Augustine is a small school located in Saint Augustine, Florida that handed out 34 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Flagler St. Augustine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $24,981 for Florida Education students per year to attend Flagler St. Augustine.
Read full report on General Education at Flagler College - St Augustine
With a ranking of #9, Florida Southern College did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida list. Florida Southern College is a small school located in Lakeland, Florida that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Florida Southern, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Southern College is $26,517 for florida education students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Florida Southern College
Southeastern University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #10. SEU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Lakeland, Florida. It awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our florida education students list, SEU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $26,640 for florida education students per year to attend SEU.
Full Southeastern University General Education Report
Barry University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking. Miami, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Barry University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Barry University is $20,539 for florida education students.
Read full report on General Education at Barry University
University of Miami did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #12. University of Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
U Miami also made our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for U Miami is $46,098 for florida education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at University of Miami
Jacksonville University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking. JU is a small school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 7 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
JU also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” ranking. It costs about $25,367 for florida education students per year to attend JU.
Read more about General Education at JU
Stetson University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Education Schools in Florida ranking, coming in at #14. Stetson is a private not-for-profit institution located in DeLand, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stetson also made our “Best General Education Schools in Florida” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Stetson University is $23,218 for Florida Education students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Stetson
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a More Focused Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.
college factual
