Florida Colleges & Universities

Boca Raton, FL — Public research university, est. 1961; home of the Owls; American Athletic Conference member; under head coach Howard Schnellenberger (the architect of Miami's dynasty) built a football program from scratch in 2001; recent Conference USA football championship and New Year's Six bowl appearance under Gus Malzahn; strong business, engineering, and oceanographic research programs; located on Florida's Atlantic coast in Palm Beach County

Boca Raton, FL — Private liberal arts university, est. 1962; home of the Fighting Knights; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); hosted the third 2012 presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney; strong business, hospitality management, and communication programs; its conservatory of music is one of the most distinguished music performance programs in Florida; known for its innovative curriculum and international student population

Daytona Beach, FL — Private HBCU, est. 1904 by Mary McLeod Bethune; home of the Wildcats; Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member; one of the most historically significant HBCUs in the South, founded by the daughter of formerly enslaved parents who became one of the most influential African American educators and presidential advisors of the 20th century; alma mater of Larry Little (Pro Football Hall of Fame); strong nursing, education, and social work programs

Daytona Beach, FL — Private aeronautical university, est. 1926; home of the Eagles; the world's leading university for aviation and aerospace education; one of two main campuses (the other in Prescott, AZ); trains a significant percentage of commercial airline pilots, aerospace engineers, and air traffic controllers working in the United States; located adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport; one of the most specialized and mission-driven universities in the country

DeLand, FL (Volusia County) — Private liberal arts university, est. 1883; home of the Hatters; ASUN Conference member; the first private university in Florida; named for hat manufacturer and philanthropist John B. Stetson; one of the oldest and most academically distinguished private institutions in the South; Florida's first law school (1900); strong music, business, and law programs; located in the historic DeLand community in the heart of Volusia County's "Athens of Florida" cultural corridor

Fort Lauderdale, FL (Broward County) — Private research university, est. 1964; home of the Sharks; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); one of the largest private universities in the Southeast; strong health sciences (medical, dental, optometry, pharmacy, nursing, and law schools all on the same campus); known for innovation in online and hybrid education; one of the premier research universities in South Florida

Fort Myers, FL — Public university, est. 1991; home of the Eagles; ASUN Conference member; one of the newest universities in the Florida state university system; rose to national attention in 2013 when its men's basketball team — nicknamed "Dunk City" — became the first 15-seed to reach the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight; strong business, nursing, and environmental studies programs; serves the rapidly growing Southwest Florida region

Gainesville, FL — Public flagship research university, est. 1853; home of the Gators; Southeastern Conference (SEC) member; five national championships in football (1996, 2006, 2008) under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer; national championships in basketball (2006, 2007) under Billy Donovan; alma mater of Emmitt Smith, Tim Tebow, Charley Pell, Danny Wuerffel, Jack Youngblood, and Ryan Lochte; one of the most comprehensive public universities in the South

Jacksonville, FL — Private HBCU, est. 1866; home of the Tigers; Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) member; the oldest private institution of higher learning in Florida and the first HBCU established in the state; founded by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War to provide higher education for freed enslaved people and their families; one of the most historically significant institutions in Florida and the entire South; strong education, business, and social work programs; recently transitioned from college to university status

Jacksonville, FL — Private liberal arts university, est. 1934; home of the Dolphins; ASUN Conference member; located on the scenic St. Johns River in Jacksonville's Arlington neighborhood; home of the Davis College of Business and Technology; strong nursing, music, and marine science programs; the Dolphin men's basketball team reached the 1970 NCAA Championship game under legendary coach Joe Williams; serves as one of the most historically rooted private universities in Northeast Florida

Jacksonville, FL — Public metropolitan research university, est. 1965; home of the Ospreys; ASUN Conference member; located on a heavily forested 1,300-acre campus in the Southside neighborhood of Jacksonville; known for strong programs in business, health, and the sciences; the Ospreys compete in golf, tennis, basketball, and soccer among other sports; serves the Jacksonville metropolitan area as the only public four-year university within the city limits

Lakeland, FL (Polk County) — Private Methodist liberal arts college, est. 1883; home of the Moccasins; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); home to the world's largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture on a single campus — twelve original Wright buildings designed between 1938 and 1958; historically one of the most successful NCAA Division II programs in total championships across all sports; strong business, nursing, and education programs; one of Florida's most distinctive and historically important small colleges

Miami Shores, FL (Miami-Dade County) — Private Catholic liberal arts university, est. 1940; home of the Buccaneers; founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); strong nursing, education, law, and social work programs; located in the quiet Miami Shores community just north of Miami; one of South Florida's most historically significant Catholic institutions of higher education

Miami Gardens, FL (Miami-Dade County) — Private Catholic liberal arts university, est. 1961; home of the Bobcats; Sun Conference (NAIA) member; founded by the Augustinian Friars; one of Florida's oldest Catholic universities; strong law school (one of the few Catholic law schools in Florida); located in Miami Gardens, the largest majority-African American city in Florida and home of Hard Rock Stadium

Coral Gables, FL — Private research university, est. 1925; home of the Hurricanes; Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member; five national championships in football (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001) making "The U" one of the most dominant dynasty programs of the 1980s-90s; alma mater of Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Vinny Testaverde, Michael Irvin, and Jim Kelly; School of Business and medical school rank among the best in the Southeast

Orlando, FL — Public research university, est. 1963; home of the Knights; American Athletic Conference member; the largest university by enrollment in the United States with over 70,000 students; completed a perfect 13-0 season in 2017 and claimed a national championship; consistently one of the top producers of engineering, computer science, and hospitality management graduates in the Southeast; major employer and economic engine for the Greater Orlando area

Saint Augustine, FL (St. Johns County) — Private liberal arts college, est. 1968; home of the Saints; NCAA Division II (Peach Belt Conference); housed in the historic Ponce de León Hotel, one of the most architecturally spectacular college campus buildings in America, built in 1888 by railroad magnate Henry Flagler; located in the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States; strong education, graphic design, and communication programs; one of the most aesthetically distinctive college campuses in the country

Saint Petersburg, FL (Pinellas County) — Private liberal arts college, est. 1958; home of the Tritons; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); affiliated with the Presbyterian Church; one of the most highly regarded liberal arts colleges in the South; known for its Academy of Senior Professionals (ASPEC) program pairing students with distinguished retired professionals as mentors; strong marine science, international business, and creative writing programs; located on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay

Sarasota, FL — Public honors liberal arts college, est. 1960; home of the Pilots; one of the most selective and academically distinctive public colleges in the United States; modeled on the tutorial and narrative transcript tradition of Reed College and St. John's College; no traditional letter grades — students receive narrative evaluations and complete a senior thesis; consistently ranked among the top public liberal arts colleges in the country; located on the Sarasota Bayfront in one of Florida's most culturally rich communities

Tallahassee, FL — Public HBCU, est. 1887; home of the Rattlers; Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member; the highest-ranked HBCU in the country by U.S. News & World Report; alma mater of Bob Hayes (Pro Football HOF; Olympic gold medalist), Andre Dawson (Baseball HOF), Bob Bethards, and many other Florida athletes; the Marching "100" band is one of the most celebrated college marching bands in the world; strong pharmacy, business, and law programs

Tallahassee, FL — Public research university, est. 1851; home of the Seminoles; Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member; three national championships in football (1993, 1999, 2013) under Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher; alma mater of Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, Warrick Dunn, Anquan Boldin, and Peter Warrick; one of the most successful football programs in the country across multiple eras

Tampa, FL — Public research university, est. 1956; home of the Bulls; American Athletic Conference member; one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States; strong medical school and research enterprise; located in the heart of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area; consistent producer of NFL and major college talent across multiple sports

West Palm Beach, FL — Private Christian liberal arts university, est. 1968; home of the Sailfish; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); one of the most academically distinguished Christian universities in the Southeast; strong nursing, business, music, and ministry programs; located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach with stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Worth; serves the rapidly growing Palm Beach County metropolitan area

Winter Park, FL (Orange County) — Private liberal arts college, est. 1885; home of the Tars; NCAA Division II (Sunshine State Conference); the oldest recognized college in Florida; beautiful Spanish Mediterranean campus in the affluent Winter Park community adjacent to Orlando; consistently ranked among the top regional universities in the South; Cornell Fine Arts Museum on campus is one of the finest college art museums in the Southeast; strong business, international relations, and communication programs