Florida ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in Florida

The 50 largest of the 291 Florida colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

69,713
Largest in Florida
291
Institutions reporting
428
Median Florida institution
#4
of 51 states by enrolment

University of Central Florida is the largest institution in Florida with 69,713 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of Central Florida leads Florida at 69,713 students, and the five largest hold 26.2% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 291 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Florida
69,713
Institutions reporting
291
State students in top 5
26.2%
Median Florida institution
428

Florida in one line

University of Central Florida is the largest institution in Florida with 69,713 students, about 163x the 428 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold only 26.2% of the state's students, so enrolment is spread widely across many smaller institutions rather than gathered into a few.

69,713
students at University of Central Florida
26.2%
of state students, in the top 5
1,104,579
students enrolled across Florida
4,147
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 87.3% of Florida's students; the other 241 reporting institutions hold the remaining 12.7%. Among the 50 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 37 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 5 also appear in the national safest-50.

87.3%
of state students, in these 50
37
below 1.58 national median /1k
5
also in national safest-50
2.41
University of Central Florida rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 291 Florida institutions by enrollment (964,339 of 1,104,579 students, 87.3%). The remaining 241 reporting institutions enroll 12.7% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about Florida

Florida is the 4th largest US jurisdiction by total enrolment, teaching 5.5% of all reported US students. More than half of the 291 institutions reporting enrolment here are private for-profit (148 of them), largely small career and online schools, which is why Florida reports so many institutions while its median enrolment stays low.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make Florida's top-50 list is 4,147 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 291 Florida institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make Florida's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 291 Florida institutions · 2024

4,147 Top 17% higher than 83% of 291 Florida institutions

Show national distribution 0–7,000: 248 Florida institutions (85%). This entry sits in this band. 7,000–14,000: 19 Florida institutions (7%). Above this entry. 14,000–21,000: 10 Florida institutions (3%). Above this entry. 21,000–28,000: 5 Florida institutions (2%). Above this entry. 28,000–35,000: 2 Florida institutions (1%). Above this entry. 35,000–42,000: 0 Florida institutions (0%). Above this entry. 42,000–49,000: 2 Florida institutions (1%). Above this entry. 49,000–56,000: 2 Florida institutions (1%). Above this entry. 56,000–63,000: 2 Florida institutions (1%). Above this entry. 63,000–70,000: 1 Florida institutions (0%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 70,000 every Florida institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Florida institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of Florida's 291 institutions

9
Broward CollegeFort Lauderdale, FL · Public
Enrollment
30,728
Incidents /1k
1.04
44
Barry UniversityMiami, FL · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
6,825
Incidents /1k
0.88
#InstitutionEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL · Public69,713100% of the leader · rank #12.41
2Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · Public58,94185% of the leader · rank #20.34
3University of FloridaGainesville, FL · Public56,31181% of the leader · rank #38.42
4Florida International UniversityMiami, FL · Public54,72378% of the leader · rank #42.27
5University of South FloridaTampa, FL · Public49,62271% of the leader · rank #54.63
6Valencia CollegeOrlando, FL · Public47,42568% of the leader · rank #60.38
7Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL · Public43,88963% of the leader · rank #73.51
8Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL · Public31,60745% of the leader · rank #82.12
9Broward CollegeFort Lauderdale, FL · Public30,72844% of the leader · rank #91.04
10Full Sail UniversityWinter Park, FL · Private for-profit27,16939% of the leader · rank #100.04
11Palm Beach State CollegeLake Worth, FL · Public25,91637% of the leader · rank #110.12
12St Petersburg CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL · Public23,93634% of the leader · rank #120.00
13Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL · Public23,55634% of the leader · rank #130.47
14Hillsborough Community CollegeTampa, FL · Public21,48331% of the leader · rank #140.19
15Nova Southeastern UniversityFort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit20,91030% of the leader · rank #151.87
16Keiser University-Ft LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FL · Private nonprofit20,88830% of the leader · rank #160.29
17University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit19,85228% of the leader · rank #172.01
18Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFort Myers, FL · Public16,61224% of the leader · rank #180.48
19University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL · Public16,15423% of the leader · rank #190.62
20Indian River State CollegeFort Pierce, FL · Public15,42922% of the leader · rank #200.52
21Seminole State College of FloridaSanford, FL · Public15,39022% of the leader · rank #210.07
22University of West FloridaPensacola, FL · Public14,82221% of the leader · rank #221.21
23Florida SouthWestern State CollegeFort Myers, FL · Public14,30121% of the leader · rank #230.56
24Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbourne, FL · Public14,05320% of the leader · rank #240.14
25Daytona State CollegeDaytona Beach, FL · Public12,82018% of the leader · rank #251.40
26Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-WorldwideDaytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit12,77018% of the leader · rank #260.16
27Santa Fe CollegeGainesville, FL · Public12,75818% of the leader · rank #270.31
28Tallahassee State CollegeTallahassee, FL · Public12,45518% of the leader · rank #280.08
29Southeastern UniversityLakeland, FL · Private nonprofit11,51017% of the leader · rank #291.56
30The University of TampaTampa, FL · Private nonprofit11,43316% of the leader · rank #302.62
31Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit11,42616% of the leader · rank #311.58
32Polk State CollegeWinter Haven, FL · Public10,31815% of the leader · rank #320.29
33South Florida Institute of TechnologyMiami, FL · Private for-profit9,74714% of the leader · rank #330.00
34Saint Leo UniversitySaint Leo, FL · Private nonprofit9,69214% of the leader · rank #341.65
35Pensacola State CollegePensacola, FL · Public9,49114% of the leader · rank #350.53
36Pasco-Hernando State CollegeNew Port Richey, FL · Public9,41013% of the leader · rank #360.21
37Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahassee, FL · Public9,31313% of the leader · rank #372.47
38Florida Institute of TechnologyMelbourne, FL · Private nonprofit8,99213% of the leader · rank #382.89
39Ultimate Medical AcademyClearwater, FL · Private nonprofit8,93213% of the leader · rank #390.00
40State College of Florida-Manatee-SarasotaBradenton, FL · Public8,75013% of the leader · rank #400.11
41Ana G. Mendez UniversityOrlando, FL · Private nonprofit8,37812% of the leader · rank #410.00
42Saint Johns River State CollegePalatka, FL · Public7,92711% of the leader · rank #420.00
43St. Thomas UniversityMiami Gardens, FL · Private nonprofit7,65211% of the leader · rank #430.91
44Barry UniversityMiami, FL · Private nonprofit6,82510% of the leader · rank #440.88
45College of Central FloridaOcala, FL · Public5,9289% of the leader · rank #451.35
46Lake-Sumter State CollegeLeesburg, FL · Public5,8108% of the leader · rank #460.00
47Gulf Coast State CollegePanama City, FL · Public5,4268% of the leader · rank #470.18
48Northwest Florida State CollegeNiceville, FL · Public4,7527% of the leader · rank #480.00
49Jacksonville UniversityJacksonville, FL · Private nonprofit4,2476% of the leader · rank #490.71
50Palm Beach Atlantic UniversityWest Palm Beach, FL · Private nonprofit4,1476% of the leader · rank #501.69

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Florida, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-11.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.