Best Nursing Schools in Florida (2026): Rankings and Reviews

Florida has one of the largest nursing education systems in the US, with nearly 50 non-profit colleges and universities producing BSN graduates, and some of the lowest public university tuition in the country. This guide ranks them using official federal data and reviews the top ten.

Imagine paying around $6,000 a year in tuition for a nursing degree at a top public university, compared with more than $60,000 at a private one. In Florida, some of the best-ranked programmes are also among the cheapest, if you can get in.

Contents hide

1 How we ranked these schools

2 Florida nursing schools ranked (2026)

3 Top Florida nursing schools reviewed

3.1 1. University of Florida

3.2 2. Florida State University

3.3 3. University of Miami

3.4 4. University of Florida-Online

3.5 5. University of Central Florida

3.6 6. University of South Florida

3.7 7. Florida International University

3.8 8. Florida Southern College

3.9 9. University of North Florida

3.10 10. The University of Tampa

4 But is a ranking enough to choose a school?

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How we ranked these schools

We used the latest official data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard. We included colleges in Florida that award a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), and ranked those producing at least 20 BSN graduates a year by their graduation rate. We also show how much their nursing graduates earn and what tuition costs. Graduation rates are for each college as a whole, not nursing students alone.

Florida nursing schools ranked (2026)

Rank	College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
1	University of Florida	Gainesville	Public	92%	235	$81,536	$6,381
2	Florida State University	Tallahassee	Public	86%	178	$77,921	$5,656
3	University of Miami	Coral Gables	Private nonprofit	84%	234	$87,777	$65,430
4	University of Florida-Online	Gainesville	Public	83%	65	$81,536	$3,876
5	University of Central Florida	Orlando	Public	78%	711	$79,352	$6,368
6	University of South Florida	Tampa	Public	77%	362	$78,991	$6,410
7	Florida International University	Miami	Public	76%	264	$81,276	$6,565
8	Florida Southern College	Lakeland	Private nonprofit	69%	37	$74,705	$46,168
9	University of North Florida	Jacksonville	Public	69%	269	$77,319	$6,389
10	The University of Tampa	Tampa	Private nonprofit	67%	79	$80,388	$35,744
11	Florida Atlantic University	Boca Raton	Public	63%	305	$76,865	$4,879
12	Nova Southeastern University	Fort Lauderdale	Private nonprofit	62%	410	$81,837	$40,360
13	Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale	Fort Lauderdale	Private nonprofit	59%	523	$79,869	$26,016
14	North Florida College	Madison	Public	59%	31	$74,759	$3,054
15	University of West Florida	Pensacola	Public	59%	312	$78,577	$6,360
16	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	Tallahassee	Public	57%	64	$63,452	$5,785
17	Florida Gulf Coast University	Fort Myers	Public	57%	73	$77,873	$6,118
18	Palm Beach Atlantic University	West Palm Beach	Private nonprofit	54%	70	$75,814	$42,250
19	Santa Fe College	Gainesville	Public	53%	62	$83,589	$2,563
20	Florida Gateway College	Lake City	Public	51%	40	$80,825	$3,100
21	Jacksonville University	Jacksonville	Private nonprofit	50%	245	$82,140	$49,800
22	Eastern Florida State College	Melbourne	Public	49%	51	$81,293	$2,496
23	Valencia College	Orlando	Public	49%	141	$84,466	$2,664
24	Saint Johns River State College	Palatka	Public	47%	47	$84,103	$2,591
25	Lake-Sumter State College	Leesburg	Public	47%	23	$84,166	$3,292
26	Miami Dade College	Miami	Public	46%	214	$96,701	$2,838
27	Seminole State College of Florida	Sanford	Public	44%	70	$85,453	$3,122
28	College of Central Florida	Ocala	Public	44%	41	$82,759	$2,710
29	AdventHealth University	Orlando	Private nonprofit	44%	155	$76,142	$21,780
30	Indian River State College	Fort Pierce	Public	44%	92	$81,877	$2,764
31	Gulf Coast State College	Panama City	Public	43%	32	$72,574	$2,370
32	Southeastern University	Lakeland	Private nonprofit	43%	43	$77,374	$33,740
33	Daytona State College	Daytona Beach	Public	42%	78	$84,812	$3,106
34	Palm Beach State College	Lake Worth	Public	42%	113	$81,734	$3,050
35	Pasco-Hernando State College	New Port Richey	Public	40%	37	$80,024	$3,155
36	Broward College	Fort Lauderdale	Public	40%	52	$99,379	$2,830
37	Northwest Florida State College	Niceville	Public	39%	43	$81,085	$3,120
38	State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota	Bradenton	Public	39%	105	$85,099	$2,540
39	Barry University	Miami	Private nonprofit	38%	107	$81,778	$35,600
40	Florida State College at Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Public	38%	124	$83,312	$2,878
41	Herzing University-Orlando	Winter Park	Private nonprofit	38%	67	$81,319	$13,820
42	Pensacola State College	Pensacola	Public	37%	42	$75,009	$2,363
43	Florida SouthWestern State College	Fort Myers	Public	37%	101	$88,653	$3,401
44	St Petersburg College	St. Petersburg	Public	37%	155	$85,600	$2,682
45	Hillsborough College	Tampa	Public	35%	22	n/a	$2,506
46	St. Thomas University	Miami Gardens	Private nonprofit	34%	203	$88,826	$35,780
47	Polk State College	Winter Haven	Public	34%	70	$84,637	$2,694

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard, accessed November 2026. Graduation rate is college-wide. Earnings are for bachelor’s nursing graduates one year after completing, and may include RN-to-BSN graduates who were already working as nurses. n/a = not reported.

Also offering a BSN in Florida (not ranked: either a comparable graduation rate isn’t reported, often because they mainly enrol transfer, upper-division or adult students, or they’re for-profit career colleges whose college-wide rates aren’t comparable with universities):

College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
Miami Regional University	Miami Springs	Private for-profit	89%	122	$69,361	n/a
Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay	Saint Petersburg	Private for-profit	49%	146	$78,918	$18,790
Rasmussen University-Florida	Ocala	Private for-profit	40%	251	$77,969	$15,138
Florida National University-Main Campus	Hialeah	Private for-profit	35%	44	$86,303	$17,368
South University-Tampa	Tampa	Private for-profit	20%	81	$79,957	$18,145
South University-West Palm Beach	Royal Palm Beach	Private for-profit	15%	44	$79,957	$18,145
Antigua College International	Miami Lakes	Private for-profit	n/a	32	n/a	$13,445
Arizona College of Nursing-Fort Lauderdale	Fort Lauderdale	Private for-profit	n/a	56	$85,460	$26,093
Arizona College of Nursing-Tampa	Tampa	Private for-profit	n/a	48	$85,460	$23,213
Chamberlain University-Florida	Jacksonville	Private for-profit	n/a	327	$89,974	$20,845
Galen Health Institutes-Miami Campus	Pembroke Pines	Private for-profit	n/a	21	$78,918	$18,790
Herzing University-Tampa	Tampa	Private nonprofit	n/a	36	$81,319	$13,820
West Coast University-Miami	Doral	Private for-profit	n/a	280	$100,459	$24,008

Top Florida nursing schools reviewed

1. University of Florida

The University of Florida College of Nursing in Gainesville tops our Florida list. It is part of a major academic health centre, and in-state tuition is among the lowest of any flagship university in the US.

Graduation rate: 92%, number 1 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 235 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $81,536 one year after graduating
Cost: $6,381 in-state tuition ($30,886 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 24% (selective)

2. Florida State University

FSU’s College of Nursing in Tallahassee combines a very high graduation rate with low in-state tuition and a selective intake.

Graduation rate: 86%, number 2 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 178 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $77,921 one year after graduating
Cost: $5,656 in-state tuition ($20,116 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 24% (selective)

3. University of Miami

The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies is a private, highly selective school in Coral Gables. Its graduates reported the highest early earnings in our top ten, but tuition is far higher than at Florida’s public universities.

Graduation rate: 84%, number 3 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 234 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $87,777 one year after graduating
Cost: $65,430 tuition a year before financial aid
Acceptance rate: 19% (selective)

4. University of Florida-Online

UF Online is the University of Florida’s online campus. Federal data reports it separately, and earnings figures are shared with the main campus, so compare its nursing options carefully with the on-campus programme.

Graduation rate: 83%, number 4 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 65 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $81,536 one year after graduating
Cost: $3,876 in-state tuition ($16,579 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 61%

5. University of Central Florida

UCF’s College of Nursing in Orlando produces more BSN graduates than any other school on our list, over 700 a year, and has strong links with Central Florida’s hospitals.

Graduation rate: 78%, number 5 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 711 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, one of the largest in the state
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $79,352 one year after graduating
Cost: $6,368 in-state tuition ($24,076 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 40% (selective)

6. University of South Florida

USF’s College of Nursing in Tampa is a large, research-active school with close ties to Tampa Bay’s major hospitals.

Graduation rate: 77%, number 6 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 362 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, one of the largest in the state
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $78,991 one year after graduating
Cost: $6,410 in-state tuition ($18,416 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 43% (selective)

7. Florida International University

FIU’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Miami serves one of the most diverse student populations in the US, preparing many bilingual nurses.

Graduation rate: 76%, number 7 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 264 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $81,276 one year after graduating
Cost: $6,565 in-state tuition ($20,204 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 55%

8. Florida Southern College

Florida Southern is a small private college in Lakeland with a smaller nursing programme and more individual attention.

Graduation rate: 69%, number 8 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 37 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, a smaller programme with a more personal feel
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $74,705 one year after graduating
Cost: $46,168 tuition a year before financial aid
Acceptance rate: 64%

9. University of North Florida

UNF in Jacksonville offers a well-regarded nursing degree at public tuition, with placements in North Florida’s large health systems.

Graduation rate: 69%, number 9 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 269 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $77,319 one year after graduating
Cost: $6,389 in-state tuition ($20,793 out of state)
Acceptance rate: 53%

10. The University of Tampa

The University of Tampa is a private university with a growing nursing programme in the heart of the city.

Graduation rate: 67%, number 10 in Florida on our list
Programme size: about 79 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $80,388 one year after graduating
Cost: $35,744 tuition a year before financial aid
Acceptance rate: 40% (selective)

Florida also has many for-profit nursing colleges, some of which produce hundreds of graduates a year. They are listed separately above because their college-wide graduation rates aren’t comparable with universities. If you’re considering one, check its NCLEX pass rates with the Florida Board of Nursing and compare the total cost carefully.

But is a ranking enough to choose a school?

No ranking can tell you everything. Before you apply, also check:

NCLEX pass rates: the Florida Board of Nursing publishes first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for every approved programme. Look for consistently high rates over several years.
Accreditation: make sure the BSN is accredited by CCNE or ACEN.
Getting into the nursing major: many universities admit students as “pre-nursing” first. Ask what share progress into the nursing programme.
Clinical placements: where students train and how placements are arranged.
Total cost: use each college’s net price calculator to see your likely cost after financial aid.

Your next step: Shortlist three schools from the table, then check each programme’s NCLEX pass rate on the Florida Board of Nursing website before you apply.

Sources: US Department of Education College Scorecard (accessed November 2026), Florida Board of Nursing, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Figures change every year; always confirm with the college.