Half Of Florida’s Public Universities Make Kiplinger’s Best Value List

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Half of Florida's public institutions are back on Kiplinger's Best Value list.

Kiplinger is starting 2013 with a list of “Best Values in Public Colleges.”

The personal finance magazine put six Florida institutions in its Top 100 list.

The Florida Board of Governors is touting the list, saying “access to an affordable higher education leads to brighter futures for hundreds of thousands of students. As they graduate and get jobs, the state benefits, too.”

Here are Kiplinger’s 2013 rankings for Florida schools:

• University of Florida – Gainesville (3rd)
• New College of Florida – Sarasota (7th)
• Florida State University – Tallahassee (26th)
• University of Central Florida – Orlando (42nd)
• University of South Florida – Tampa (57th)
• University of North Florida – Jacksonville (64th)

The same six schools made the list a year ago.

Tuition in Florida has been climbing rapidly. Universities are playing catch up in an effort to be more competitive with other institutions nationally.

State funding is also lacking.

University of North Florida President John Delaney said, “Approximately 30 percent is spent less in Florida than compared to the national average on each student.”

University presidents say they’ll avoid a tuition increase for the coming year if the state will provide an additional $118-million in funding.

In spite of the recent tuition hikes, Florida’s public colleges and universities are still considered to be a good deal compared to tuition rates around the country.