Most Affordable Public Universities in Florida
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
40 public universities in Florida are listed here, 40 of them reporting a net price. They run from $804 a year at North Florida College to $22,356 at State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota, with a middle of about $7,781.
The cheapest are North Florida College, Chipola College and St Petersburg College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Florida, cheapest first · 40
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- North Florida College
- Chipola College
- St Petersburg College
- Indian River State College
- South Florida State College
- Pensacola State College
- Florida State College at Jacksonville
- Northwest Florida State College
- Gulf Coast State College
- University of Florida-Online
- Pasco-Hernando State College
- Florida Gateway College
- Miami Dade College
- Lake-Sumter State College
- Saint Johns River State College
- Eastern Florida State College
- University of Florida
- Daytona State College
- New College of Florida
- Florida SouthWestern State College
- Tallahassee State College
- Florida Atlantic University
- Seminole State College of Florida
- Palm Beach State College
- Florida International University
- University of West Florida
- Polk State College
- University of South Florida
- University of North Florida
- University of Central Florida
- Santa Fe College
- Florida State University
- Florida Polytechnic University
- Valencia College
- College of Central Florida
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- The College of the Florida Keys
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- Broward College
- State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Florida?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is North Florida College at about $804 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Florida cost on average?
- Across the 40 public universities in Florida that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $7,781 a year after aid, running from $804 to $22,356.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 19% to 54%, with a middle of about 33%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free