Colleges in central Florida? (Tampa, Tallahassee: 2013, credit, home)

[tracey11474]

We are hoping to move to central Florida in 2-3 years and we have 3 kids. My oldest will be in high school when we move. Just wondering how the colleges are in the area and how expensive tuition is?

[AONE]

There are several colleges/universities in the area.
UCF - will be the cheapest , under $10,000
Rollins College is in the $45,000 range
Stetson - I think is under 40,k

That said there is the FASPA program that provides some generous scholarships based on test scores. With good grades I can confirm Rollins also can offer excellent scholarships.

Don't rule a school out based on the price, the higher priced school may end up being cheaper. My So is at Rollins and it is costing less than $10,000/ yr.... graduate school with a 710 GMAT is a full ride scholarship....The normal cost is $72,000 for the International Business program. They also require study abroad which is about $6000-7000 extra... for that major.

UCF is the largest school, with enrollment around 62,000 some of the low level classes have 900 students in them compared to Rollins 10. I think UCF is #2 in the country now.. They have the largest number of degrees and offer some very specialized studies.

There are some good community colleges and Valencia has expanded to go to a BA level. They are the cheapest of the school probably under $5,000.

Many of the high schools offer dual enrollment where students gain college credit in high school this can provide a full year of college credit and shorten the time at the university. I highly encourage this.

Hope this helps.

[tracey11474]

Thanks for the great info! He is going to be taking honors classes for 7th grade next year(he is gifted and has a high IQ) so hopefully he will continue on the path of good grades to get scholarship money!

[Gatorgrad2004]

Well, UF in Gainesville is only 120 miles up north

[AONE]

Originally Posted by Gatorgrad2004

Well, UF in Gainesville is only 120 miles up north

Spoken from a Gators fan... yes this is true they are In Gainesville...The place where gatoraid was developed and aptly named.

and at the risk of being stoned Tallahassee also has a school (Seminoles) lol

[Gatorgrad2004]

Well, I only put it out there since she asked about colleges in Central Fl, and given it's location Gainesville is still somewhat close vs. Tally.

[allenk893]

University of Central Florida is the biggest college in Florida and one of the biggest in America. I encourage all high school students to apply there. That's where I'm applying once I finish my SATs. It's a really great university with tons to offer.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by tracey11474

We are hoping to move to central Florida in 2-3 years and we have 3 kids. My oldest will be in high school when we move. Just wondering how the colleges are in the area and how expensive tuition is?

There is also Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. It is not a state school so tuition is high. Local kids used to get really good incentives to go there if they carried a 4.0 or better in high school here. They could live at home and get almost all tuition covered for the 1st year anyway. 2nd year they didn't receive as much.


Over in Tampa there is the University of South Florida( a state school so can use the Florida Bright futures scholarship like you can at UCF and UF.

There are branches of the 4 main state colleges in many areas. For example you can go to UCF in Brevard county for many majors with minimal or no time on the main campus. .

One thing I learned always fill out FAFSA even if you think you do not qualify for any financial help. Academic grants and scholarships from your major'xs school within the college are often given to current students. My son got several $1000 grants from the school of engineering for example.

[alex80]

If your kids are going to high school here, they should get instate tuition, which is WAY cheaper than out-of-state. Also, we have some great incentive programs that were already mentioned. For example, with Bright Futures (although funding has gone down in recent years), a good GPA and SAT can get 75%, 50%, or 25% or your school paid for. Also, if I understood this right, anyone who get an AA or AS at a community college is basically guaranteed a slot at any state school.

Rollins is ranked the best school in the South (part of the "Ivy League of the South" some say). It's smaller and has great class sizes, but a little less variety. UCF is climbing the ranks not just in size, but in quality. Recent rankings show it as a top tier school in terms of research and funding. The downside is - and I noticed this when I was there - is that with so many students you have to really be self-motivated. Nobody's going to hand you anything or say "hey, study abroad here or do this internship." The opportunities are there, you just have to know how to find them.

[tracey11474]

Wow...thanks everyone for this wealth of info! I know it's 5 years away for my son but I also know it will be here before we know it, especially since we are hoping to move to FL in the summer of 2013!