Best Online Colleges in Florida 2025

Want to study in Florida? The Sunshine State has over 160 private and public four-year colleges that attract students from all over the world. And with the growth of online degree programs, those students can attend without actually moving.

Studying online can provide an even cheaper college education, with many Florida distance learning programs offering discounts to out-of-state students.

So, we looked at admission rates, net price, graduation rates, and more to create a comprehensive list of the best online colleges in Florida.

How We Measured Student Satisfaction: We partnered with College Pulse to bring you data from students themselves on the schools on our list. The data and reviews aren’t part of our ranking methodology.

The cost for a four-year, public college in Florida is typically just under $4,000 per year for in-state students, compared to nearly $14,000 for out-of-state students. Private colleges cost even more — around $24,000 per year, which is roughly six times the in-state rate of public colleges.

However, many students qualify for financial aid, including grants and scholarships, which lowers the overall cost of attendance.

Florida residents can access federal aid opportunities by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, there are state-specific programs like the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which can cover up to 100% of your tuition if you attend a public institution and meet the program’s requirements.

Still, the cost of living can be high in Florida — higher than in most other states. This is particularly true if you attend a school in higher-cost areas of the state, like Miami or Fort Lauderdale, where median monthly rent exceeds $2,500.

Online learning is one way to avoid the additional expenses often tied to traditional, on-campus education. For instance, studying online can save you money, on things like gas, rent, and meals.

Additionally, many online colleges offer scholarships and financial aid opportunities specifically for online students. Some online universities also offer flat-rate tuition prices regardless of where you live.

In Florida, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has long been the primary accreditor for four-year, degree-granting institutions.

But a new state-level accreditor has stepped in as a potential accreditor for Florida’s public institutions: the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE).

There is currently some controversy over whether the agency will be taken seriously due to its initial political leanings. So for now, it’s best to look for schools with SACSCOC accreditation.

Note that both online and traditional colleges typically receive accreditation from the same agencies. However, verifying the accreditation of online colleges is particularly important because it can help you avoid online programs that are masquerading as legitimate learning institutions.

If you’re enrolling in a specialized program, like teaching or nursing, you’ll want to ensure that it holds programmatic accreditation.

For instance, nursing programs in Florida should be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). For teaching programs, the top accreditor is the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Students can search the Department of Education’s accreditation database to determine their school’s accreditation status. For programmatic accreditation, you’ll want to look at the program’s page on your school’s website.

Health and technology occupations like nurse practitioners, data scientists, and information security analysts are projected to see the most growth in Florida over the next several years. Each of these is anticipated to grow by more than 40% by 2032.

All these roles boast high median salaries, exceeding $100,000 a year. And aspiring data scientists and information security analysts typically only need a bachelor’s degree.

Nurse practitioners, on the other hand, need to earn a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), become a registered nurse (RN), complete a doctoral nursing program, and pass a national board certification exam.