There are many colleges in the State of Florida (public and private). This is not a comprehensive list, but it is information on many well known colleges and universities in our state:

Barry College is a private Catholic Institution with a history of academic excellence. Founded in 1940 in Miami, the University enrolls 2,747 full time undergraduate students.  Barry is located just a few miles from the beach and is recognized by Forbes magazine as one of Americas Top Colleges for the last 3 years. Barry has 12 Division II sports teams.  Their mascot is the Buccaneer and their colors and red and black. The average GPA of entering freshmen is 2.9.  The average ACT score is 22 and the average SAT score is 1020. Barry offers programs in Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, Education, Medical Sciences, Nursing, Law and Psychology.  Shaquille O’Neal received a Doctorate degree from Barry College in 2012.

Bethune Cookman College is located in Daytona and was founded in 1904 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.  Bethune Cookman has become a leading institution for higher education with 3,543 undergraduate students. Bethune Cookman is a NCAA Division I school with 8 male sports and 9 female sports. The Bethune Cookman mascot is the Wildcat and their colors are maroon and gold. The yearly tuition at Bethune Cookman is around $14,000 with room and board costing around $8,000 per year. The most popular majors are Nursing, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Biology, Psychology and Communication. The ratio of faculty to students is 1:17. High school students who are interested in attending Bethune Cookman should apply between August and December of their senior year.

Embry-Riddle University is located in Daytona and is the oldest and largest university specializing in aviation and aerospace. Founded in 1925, the university currently enrolls more than 33,000 full time students at the Daytona and Prescott Arizona campuses. Tuition for undergraduate students is about $31,000 per year with room and board adding another $9,550. Degrees from Embry-Riddle are offered in Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Aviation Business. There are 16 intercollegiate sports at Embry-Riddle. The mascot is the Eagle and the colors and blue and gold.

Flagler College is a private college located in St. Augustine.  It opened as a Women’s College in 1968 and then reorganized as a co-ed college in 1971. The enrollment at Flagler is 2,588 students. The average class size is about 21 students. The cost to attend Flagler is about $24,000 a year including tuition and room and board. The majors are Accounting, Communications, Deaf Education, Economics, Education, Graphic Design, Philosophy/Religion, Sports Management and Theatre Arts. Flagler has 13 intercollegiate sports and is a NCAA Division II school. The mascot is the Saint. The colors are Crimson and Gold. Flagler College has consistently been ranked as a top tier college.

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is located in Tallahassee and was founded in 1887.  FAMU enrolls nearly 12,000 students and offers 54 bachelor degrees and 28 Master’s degrees. The average GPA of incoming freshman is 3.0. The top programs of study are architecture, journalism, computer information and psychology. FAMU is known for the Marching 100 band. The mascot of FAMU is the Rattler.   The colors are green and orange and were selected because of the green from agricultural plants and the oranges from the Florida citrus industry. Notable graduates are Robert Bullet Bob” Hayes who was an Olympic gold medalist and Congress woman Carrie Meek, the 1st African American woman elected to the Florida Senate and US House of Representatives.

Florida Gulf Coast University is located in Fort Myers and opened in 1991.  With 13,600 students Florida Gulf Coast offers 51 undergraduate degrees and 28 graduate degrees. They are a Division I school in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 5 Men’s sports and 8 women’s sports.  The Men’s basketball team went to the Final 4 Basketball tournament in 2013. The mascot is the Eagle. The average SAT score for incoming freshmen is 1528.  Average ACT score is 22. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.0-3.6. The most popular programs are Management, Biology and Communications.

Full Sail University is located in Winter Park and has a current enrollment of 42,000. The major programs of study are film design, show production, games, animation, web design, business of entertainment, and  computer animation.  Students who graduate from Full Sail go to work in the Game Art, Game Development, Game Design and Music Business. Students desiring to be admitted to Game Development must demonstrate a strong foundation in Algebra II, advanced math classes such as pre-calculus and trigonometry. Students desiring admission to Computer Animation and Game Art should demonstrate foundation of sketching, sculpting and painting. Tuition is around $15,000 a year with no on campus housing.

Stetson University is a private college located in Deland and was founded in 1883. The enrollment is around 2,500 with the average SAT score of incoming freshmen is 1717.  The student teacher ratio is 12-1 with annual tuition around $38,000. Stetson has 15 intercollegiate men’s and women’s sports in NCAA Division Atlantic Sun Conference. Stetson offers 73 academic programs. Their colors are green and white and the mascot is John B, the Hatter. Stetson is home to many Florida firsts:   1st collegiate newspaper, oldest school of business administration and music, and the 1st school of law in the state.

The University of Central Florida was founded in 1970 and is located in Orlando. The student enrollment is around 60,000. UCF boasts 350 clubs and organizations for the student body. The mascot is the Golden Knight and colors and black and gold. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.7-4.3 in 2015.  The average ACT score of freshmen is 25-29 in 2015 and the average SAT score is 600 on all three sections in 2015. University of Central Florida is a NCAA Division I school. The top three majors for undergraduates are Psychology, Business and Engineering.

The University of Florida is located in Gainesville and opened in 1906 with 102 students. It is consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities. UF has more than 4,000 faculty members and 50,000 students.  Freshmen admitted for the fall of 2015 had average 4.2 - 4.5 GPA and average SAT score of 1760 - 2080. The UF athletic program has won a total of 33 national team titles including 25 since 1992. The colors are orange and blue and the mascot is Albert and Alberta Gator. UF offers programs in  Agriculture and Life Science, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Journalism, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine and Nursing,  Notable graduates include 8 NASA astronauts, 8 former US ambassadors, John Atanasoff who invented the digital computer and Robert Cade inventor of Gatorade. PHS faculty who are UF graduates are: Mr. Motl, Mr. Chaires, Mrs.Fales, Ms. Watson, Mr. Everett and Ms. Walther.

The University of Miami is a private research university located in Coral Gables.  The university was established in 1925 and now has 15,000 students with 180 majors and programs of study. The average student teacher ratio is 16-1. The University of Miami is an Atlantic Coast Conference school with teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football and tennis. The mascot is Sebastian the Ibis and the colors are orange and green. Because it is a private university the tuition is $39,000 with housing cost around $7,000 per year. The most popular programs are Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, Engineering, Law, Marine and Atmospheric Science, Medicine, Music, and Education and Human Development.

Florida State University is located in Tallahassee and was founded in 1851. The student enrollment is 41,700.  The mascot of FSU is Chief Osceola who rides his trusty mount Renegade. The colors of FSU are garnet and gold. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.9 - 4.4 in 2015 with a 27 - 31 ACT and/or 1830 - 1930 SAT in 2015. FSU suggest that applicants take both ACT and SAT since they use the best composite score for admissions and scholarship purposes. The top majors are:  Biological Science, Business, Engineering, Psychology, and Communication. A notable alumnus of FSU is John Culver who is the President of Starbucks Coffee International.  PHS faculty who are FSU alumni are: Ms. Seitz, Mr. Barber, and Mrs. Rollinson.

The University of North Florida is located in Jacksonville.  Student enrollment is 16,000 and the average class size is 32 students.  The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.9 in 2015.  The average ACT of incoming freshmen is 24 - 28 and/or SAT is 1630 - 1870 in 2015. The University has 19 Division I teams.  The mascot is the Osprey and the colors are blue and grey. The University boasts a strong music and art program and has 10 art and music based clubs for students. The most popular colleges are Health, Business, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Construction and Education and Human Services.  PHS faculty who are UNF alumni are: Mr. Pipa, Mrs. Wilkinson, Mrs. Ogle and Mr. Chaires.

The University of South Florida is located in Tampa and has a student enrollment of 42,000. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.81 - 3.84 in 2015 and the average ACT score being 26 - 30 and the average SAT score being 1805 in 2015. The mascot is the Golden Brahman and the colors are green and gold. The University is a Div I school with 8 men’s sports and 9 women’s sports. The most preferred colleges are: Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, Engineering, Arts &  Sciences, and Marine Science, Behavioral & Community Service.

Daytona State College is located in Daytona.  It was founded in 1957 and became a 4 yr college in 2006.  The student enrollment is 32,000 and the average class size is 29 students.  The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 2.1. The mascot is the Falcon and the colors are blue and white. Daytona State College is a Division I school and has 2 Men’s sports and 4 women’s sports. The Daytona State College Women’s Golf team won the NJCAA National Championship for the 6th time last year. The college offers 40 clubs and organizations for students. The most preferred colleges are Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Arts, Music and Science.