Florida has emerged as the nation’s third-largest state, with a booming population of 22 million. The state is making significant investments in its public institutions of higher learning, with private universities also experiencing surging enrollment. Some of the top universities in Florida with impressive enrollment rates include the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Miami, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida A&M University, and the University of South Florida.
The University of Florida, located in Gainesville, is the flagship school of the State University System of Florida. With over 57,000 students studying at 16 academic colleges, it offers a wide range of graduate programs, including medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, business administration, and dentistry. The university is known for its legendary football program and has become increasingly competitive, with an acceptance rate of just 23%.
Florida State University, founded in 1851 in Tallahassee, boasts a student body of over 45,000 from all 50 states and 130 countries. With an annual budget of $2.2 billion, the university offers a wide range of programs, including 104 baccalaureate programs, 112 master’s degree programs, and 70 doctoral programs. Its athletics programs have won 20 NCAA Division I national championships.
The University of Miami, a private research university located in Miami, enrolls nearly 20,000 students and is the second-largest employer in Miami-Dade County. Renowned for its athletics programs, particularly football, the university has won five national championships. Admission is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of 18.5%.
Florida International University, commonly known as FIU, was founded in 1965 and is located in Miami-Dade County. With a budget of over $1.7 billion, the university enrolls over 45,000 undergraduate students and 10,000 graduate students. It offers a wide range of programs and features a considerable international student population, with students from Venezuela, China, Kuwait, India, and Brazil.
Florida Atlantic University, a public research university in Boca Raton, offers 180 undergraduate and graduate programs across 10 colleges. The school has a diverse student body of 30,000 from all 50 states and 180 countries. It is known for its two featured honors programs, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and the University Scholars Program.
Florida A&M University, a historically Black land-grant school located in Tallahassee, was founded in 1887 and offers a range of degree programs. The university is the third-largest historically Black university in the nation and competes in NCAA Division I. The University of South Florida, founded in 1956 with its flagship campus in Tampa, is the fourth-largest school in the state. Known for its cutting-edge research, the university has over 240 undergraduate and graduate programs and a diverse student body.
