Higher Education Outcome Report · South

🏛️ Public Powerhouse

Florida Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 127 degree-granting institutions graded

Florida's higher education system is a lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $46,829, -9% vs the national median.

tourism & hospitality
aerospace
healthcare

311
INSTITUTIONS: $46,829
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -9% vs natl; $21,266
AVG NET PRICE: 89 / 58
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

B-

46/100 · #33 of 50

Florida At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

127

658,287 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~95,432

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
16th pct

$42,987

42nd of 50 states
Mobility Score
78th pct

2.0%

10th of 46 states
Talent Retention
76th pct

70%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
10th pct

2.1x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Humanities
Business

Executive Summary

Florida graduates earn a median of $42,987 a decade after entry, 12% below the national state average, ranking 42nd of 50 states.
Upward mobility is a defining strength: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 2.0% rate, in the 78th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Humanities, which together account for 39% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Sciences is the standout sector: graduates earn $56,006, +8.6% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 19.2% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Florida returns 2.1x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-12.2%

Median graduate earnings in Florida are below the national average by 12%.
Cost vs National

+10.6%

Net price in Florida is higher than the national average by 11%.
Mobility Rate

+0.11pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.1 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

+6.8pp

Florida's graduation rate is 6.8 percentage points above the national average.
Best Value

42.2x

Top value school: North Florida College ($33,929 earnings vs $804 net price).
Top Mobility School

5.2%

Highest mobility rate: Florida International University at 5.2%.

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (20% of graduates) and Humanities (19% of graduates) dominate Florida's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $47,091.

Healthcare

20%

$47,091 avg
Humanities

19%

$41,626 avg
Business

17%

$46,649 avg
Social Sciences

9%

$50,052 avg
Technology

7%

$45,646 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Florida's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Precision Production), where graduates average $39,816 against a net cost of $7,250, a 5.5x return. That's -22.8% vs the national median. At the other end, Psychology produces $49,926 at a 2.2x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Precision Production
5.5x

$39,816 earnings $7,250 net -22.8% vs natl
Construction Trades
5.1x

$39,769 earnings $7,796 net -22.9% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
4.3x

$40,893 earnings $9,591 net -20.7% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
3.5x

$43,244 earnings $12,186 net -16.2% vs natl
Criminal Justice
3.0x

$46,576 earnings $15,700 net -9.7% vs natl
Humanities
2.9x

$45,609 earnings $15,629 net -11.6% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Florida's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 20%
Humanities 18%
Business & Marketing 17%
Computer Science & IT 6%
Psychology 6%

Highest-Earning Fields

Transportation $58,977
Engineering $57,677
Biology & Biomedical $55,407
Social Sciences $55,146
Communications $51,837

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Florida's graduate supply.

Transportation $58,977 2% of grads
Engineering $57,677 4% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $55,407 5% of grads
Social Sciences $55,146 4% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Florida's colleges post an average mobility rate of 2.0%, which puts the state in the 78th percentile nationally. 13% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.27, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

2.0%

▲ +0.33pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

13%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

19%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

42%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

70%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.27

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Florida's Sciences programs produce graduates earning $56,006, +8.6% relative to the national median. Humanities graduates, however, earn 19.2% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
20% of enrollment

$47,360 -8.2% vs natl

84 schools
Humanities
19% of enrollment

$41,666 -19.2% vs natl

39 schools
Business
17% of enrollment

$47,483 -7.9% vs natl

72 schools
Social Sciences
9% of enrollment

$49,947 -3.2% vs natl

37 schools
Technology
7% of enrollment

$45,964 -10.9% vs natl

27 schools
Sciences
6% of enrollment

$56,006 +8.6% vs natl

21 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Sciences: +8.6% vs national earnings ($56,006)

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -19.2% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Technology: -10.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -8.2% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Florida's higher education system includes 7 research-oriented, 57 specialized, 11 access-oriented, 52 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

7

Research Universities
52

Regional Universities
11

Access-Oriented Institutions
57

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

35% of Florida's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $44,418 at 10 years. At the premium end, 6 schools charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $46,369.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

39

35% of schools
Avg earnings: $44,418
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

30

27% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,785
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

37

33% of schools
Avg earnings: $54,322
NET PRICE OVER $40K

6

5% of schools
Avg earnings: $46,369

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Florida

Florida is home to 311 colleges and universities, from 89 public institutions to 58 private nonprofits. University of Central Florida anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $38,502 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Miami, Tampa and Orlando, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Culinary & Personal Services and Business & Marketing. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Florida

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $19,998 a year across Florida. University of Florida stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Florida's economy leans on tourism & hospitality, aerospace and healthcare, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Culinary & Personal Services and Business & Marketing feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Florida level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Florida earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$38,502

▼ $-5,335 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$19,998

▼ +$1,922 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

1.9x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Florida

Is Florida Right for You?

Florida is a strong fit if you want to build a career in tourism & hospitality and aerospace, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Miami Ad School · FL West Coast University-Miami · FL Chamberlain University-Florida · FL Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach · FL Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide · FL University of Miami · FL

FAQ

How many colleges are in Florida?

There are 311 colleges and universities in Florida in our dataset — 89 public, 58 private nonprofit, including 4 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Florida?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Miami Ad School leads, followed by schools like West Coast University-Miami and Chamberlain University-Florida.

How much does college cost in Florida?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $19,998 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Florida?

Florida's economy is anchored by tourism & hospitality, aerospace and healthcare, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Florida?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. University of Florida, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 311 schools in Florida

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

311 institutions in Florida

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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