2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Florida with 21,209 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida ranking. This report analyzed 83 schools in Florida to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Tallahassee Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Florida. Tallahassee Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tallahassee.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tallahassee Community College are $2,026 per year. Nursing majors at Tallahassee Community College take out an average of $16,245 in student loans while working on their egree.
Out of the 83 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Valencia College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Valencia College is a very large public school located in the city of Orlando.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Valencia College are $2,474 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Valencia College carry an average student debtload of $18,298.
Out of the 83 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Fe College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Santa Fe College is a large public school located in the suburb of Gainesville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Santa Fe College are $2,563 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Santa Fe College take out is $19,447.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hillsborough Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida list. HCC is a large public school located in the large city of Tampa.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HCC are $2,506 a year. On average, nursing graduates from HCC take out $17,052 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Hillsborough Community College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pensacola State College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida list. Pensacola State is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Pensacola.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pensacola State are $2,367 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Pensacola State take out $10,591 in student loans while working on their degree.
Miami Dade College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida list. MDC is a very large public school located in the city of Miami.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MDC are $2,838 per year. On average, nursing graduates from MDC take out $14,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
Gulf Coast State College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the city of Panama City, GCSC is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GCSC are $2,370 per year. Nursing majors at GCSC take out an average of $12,019 in student loans while working on their egree.
Florida State College at Jacksonville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida ranking. Located in the city of Jacksonville, FSCJ is a public college with a fairly large student population.
FSCJ undergraduate students pay an average of $2,657 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from FSCJ carry an average student debtload of $17,750.
Read full report on Nursing at Florida State College at Jacksonville
Broward College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BC are $2,830 a year. On average, nursing graduates from BC take out $16,810 in student loans while working on their degree.
St Petersburg College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida list. Located in the city of Clearwater, SPC is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SPC are $2,682 a year. On average, nursing graduates from SPC take out $22,934 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #11, State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Bradenton, State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota are $3,074 a year. On average, nursing graduates from State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota take out $20,058 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota
North Florida College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida ranking. Located in the rural area of Madison, NFC is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NFC are $2,994 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NFC carry an average student debtload of $8,844.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of Florida seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in Florida award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Polk State College | Winter Haven, FL |
| 14 | Indian River State College | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 15 | College of Central Florida | Ocala, FL |
| 16 | Florida Gateway College | Lake City, FL |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| North Carolina | 7,425 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
More Nursing Rankings in Florida
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.