In this post, we’ll take a look at the most selective private and public 4-year colleges and universities in the state of Florida.
If we consider the question ‘what is the hardest college in Florida to get into?’ we look at the schools’ acceptance rates and the level of their academic acceptance standards.
Additionally, we consider SAT/ACT ranges and the student’s average high school GPA, if available.
Today, college admissions officials and counselors have more than enough to choose from. More people than ever before apply to postsecondary education institutions. Over the last years, enrollment for 18 to 24-year olds increased by some 40 percent.
To get admitted to the schools listed below, students are required to take the SAT or ACT college entrance exam and include their scores with their applications.
The GPA admission requirement matters to get in but here, we also consider the schools’ average GPA for current students.
Probably the school to get the hardest into in Florida is The University of Miami with an acceptance rate of just 32%. The school, a private university, was founded in 1925 and has a total student body of just over 17,000 students. Popular majors include nursing, finance, and economics.
The acceptance rate, however, should be considered somewhat critically. There are schools that are known for their not-so academically challenging programs and also schools with lesser high school GPA requirements.
These schools are likely to receive a relatively large number of qualified applicants but they won’t have space to accept all applicants.
The following list is based on the schools’ Acceptance Rate. Popular and academically challenging universities and colleges are usually more selective and, consequently, have lower acceptance rates.
The acceptance rate is the percentage of students that were admitted to a school compared to the number of all applicants.
An interesting example is Harvard, where not even 1 in 20 applicants gets admitted annually. Such colleges can rely on their prestige and reputation to be highly selective and charge hefty tuition rates.
In Florida, like in other states, the hardest colleges to get into usually receive numerous applications as well while they are limited in their acceptance capacities.
If you are looking to get accepted into a university or college, one of the first things to look at is the school’s acceptance rate. This is an indication of the seriousness of the school’s requirements and how competitive and selective the school is.
Many academic institutions require applicants to have a minimum GPA but often, this is just the minimum requirement for submitting applications without getting rejected right away.
To give you an example, the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville has an acceptance rate of is 39 percent. This means that out of 100 applicants, just 39 are accepted.
This means that the Univesity of Florida is very selective. If you meet the school’s SAT/ACT score and GPA requirements as well as other application criteria, you probably will have a pretty good shot at making it into the school.
If you fall short on your GPA, however, or have SAT/ACT scores that are not excellent, chances are you’ll have a hard time to get admitted, even if all other admissions requirements are met.
The University of Florida’s average GPA is 4.42 so students need to be really at the top of their class and have practically straight As in all classes to be able to compete with the other applicants.
Applicants should also have been taking hard classes, like AP and/or IB courses, to demonstrate that fir them, attending college-level, credit-bearing academic course work is not challenging at all. See also this post about the state-backed Florida Prepaid College Plan that will help you pay for your children’s college education.
Current high school seniors with a GPA at or below their schools’ average require relatively high SAT or ACT scores to make up for that. That will help them compete successfully against applicants having higher GPAs than them.
For both SAT and ACT scores, the University of Florida doesn’t use cutoffs, but applicants with too low scores can be sure their applications will end up in the trash bin.
Getting accepted into a university or college is definitely no small feat but you should also take a look at our pick of top Florida colleges. Your college degree has an enormous influence over your job and career prospects and earnings. Today, holding a college degree is needed more than ever before making things highly competitive for aspiring high school grads.
All colleges and universities have their own requirements for standardized college entrance tests. Most require SAT or ACT scores but an increasing number of schools also accept GED college-ready scores. For PERT (Postsecondary Education Readiness Test) scores, Florida’s college-entrance exam, check out this article.
Let’s take a closer look at the 16 Florida universities that are the hardest to get into:
- The University of Miami
1320 S Dixie Hwy, Coral Gables, FL 33146, Phone: (305) 284-221
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 32%
Admissions standards: extremely high
Average SAT range: 1250-1430
Average ACT Range: 29-32
Average High School GPA: 4.2
Total student number: 17K+
Annual tuition: $50,226
The University of Miami offers several scholarships to highly-promising incoming students. - The University of South Florida Sarasota–Manatee
8350 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243, Phone: (941) 359-4200
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 32,4%
Admissions standards: high
Average SAT range: 1130-1280
Average ACT Range: 24-28
Average High School GPA: 3.86
Total student number: 1,917
Annual tuition: $5,587 (in-state; $16,501 (out-of-state) - Florida Memorial University
15800 NW 42nd Ave, Miami Gardens, FL 33054, Phone: (305) 626-3600
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 33%
Acceptance standards: high
Total student number: 1,180+
Annual tuition: $15,536 - Warner University
13895 US-27, Lake Wales, FL 33859, Phone: (863) 638-1426
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 35%
Admissions standards: low
Average SAT range: 890-1090
Average ACT Range: 16-21
Average High School GPA: 2.97
Total student number: 1,110+
Annual tuition: $21,694
For an overview of Florida Colleges with low acceptance rates, check out this post - Florida State University
600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306, Phone: (850) 644-2525
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 37%
Admissions standards: extremely high
Average SAT range: 1200-1350
Average ACT Range: 26-30
Average High School GPA: 3.88
Total student number: 41K+
Annual tuition: $5,656 (in-state), $18,786 (out-of-state) - Florida A & M University
1601 S Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, Phone: (850) 599-3000
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 39%
Admissions standards: average
Average SAT range: 1040-1170
Average ACT Range: 19-23
Average High School GPA: 3.27
Total student number: 10K+
Annual tuition: $5,785 (in-state), $17,725 (out-of-state) - The University of Florida
2046 NE Waldo Rd, Gainesville, FL 32609, Phone: (352) 273-1006
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 39%
Admissions standards: extremely high
Average SAT range: 1280-1440
Average ACT Range: 27-32
Average High School GPA: 4.1
Total student number: 52K+
Annual tuition: $6,381 (in-state), $28,659 (out-of-state) - The University of South Florida-St. Petersburg
140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, Phone: (727) 873-7748
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 39%
Admissions standards: high
Average SAT range: 1100-1250
Average ACT Range: 23-27
Average High School GPA: 3.62
Total student number: 4,700+
Annual tuition: $5,821 (in-state), $16,736 (out-of-state) - Webber International University
1201 N Scenic Hwy, Babson Park, FL 33827, Phone: (863) 638-2910
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 40%
Admissions standards: easy
Average SAT range: 880-1060
Average ACT Range: 17-20
Average High School GPA: 2.23
Total student number: 690+
Annual tuition: $26,116 - The University of West Florida
11000 University Pkwy, Pensacola, FL 32514, Phone: (850) 474-2000
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 42%
Admissions standards: high
Average SAT range: 1080-1250
Average ACT Range: 22-27
Average High School GPA: 3.43
Total student number: 12,800+
Annual tuition: $6,360 (in-state), $19,241 (out-of-state) - University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL 32816, Phone: (407) 823-2000
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 43%
Admissions standards: very high
Average SAT range: 1160-1340
Average ACT Range: 25-29
Average High School GPA: 3.81
Total student number: 68K+
Annual tuition: $6,368 (in-state), $22,467 (out-of-state) - University of South Florida-Tampa
4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33620, Phone: (813) 974-2011
Public 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 43%
Admissions standards: very high
Average SAT range: 1170-1330
Average ACT Range: 25-30
Average High School GPA: 3.86
Total student number: 43K+
Annual tuition: $6,410 (in-state), $17,324 (out-of-state) - Southeastern University
1000 Longfellow Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33801, Phone: (863) 667-5000
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 48%
Admissions standards: easy
Average SAT range: 950-1160
Average ACT Range: 18-24
Average High School GPA: 3.35
Total student number: 8,750+
Annual tuition: $25,870 - The University of Tampa
401 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606, Phone: (813) 253-3333
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 49%
Admissions standards: challenging
Average SAT range: 1090-1250
Average ACT Range: 22-27
Average High School GPA: 3.3
Total student number: 9,330+
Annual tuition: $29,208 - Florida Southern College
111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr, Lakeland, FL 33801, Phone: (863) 680-4111
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 50%
Admissions standards: challenging
Average SAT range: 1130-1300
Average ACT Range: 23-29
Average High School GPA: 3.62
Total student number: 3,150+
Annual tuition: $36,348 - Albizu University-Miami
2173 NW 99th Ave, Doral, FL 33172, Phone: (305) 593-1223
Private 4-year university
Acceptance rate: 50%
Total student number: 740+
Annual tuition: $12,444