2026 Best Value Value Schools in Florida
[Value](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/security-science-and-technology/criminalistics-and-criminal-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in Florida
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Value Schools
Florida International University earned the #1 spot for value among value schools in Florida. Florida International University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Miami. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,565, with out-of-state students paying around $18,964. Value graduates carry a median of $19,349 in student loans. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Florida International University generally make around $52,517. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Florida International University admits about 55% of applicants.
Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value value schools. Set in the suburb of Fort Myers, Florida Gulf Coast University is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,118, while out-of-state students pay about $25,162. Value graduates carry a median of $19,046 in student loans. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Florida Gulf Coast University generally make around $28,173. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 63%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
