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Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Florida State University

Students comparing Florida State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Tallahassee, Florida32,212 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 19Public universitySelectiveUrban campus

The short answer

Florida State University: U.S. News ranks it #51 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #72 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #126 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #199 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #47 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #19 Best Athletic Facilities; QS ranks it #550 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 32,212 undergraduates, admits 24.2% of applicants, and posts a 85.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $18,786; aid recipients pay $11,297 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,675.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
24.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$11,297

65% below the $32,260 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$61,675

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
85.6%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$18,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1270–1410

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Florida State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#51of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#72of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#126of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#199of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#47of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#19 Best Athletic FacilitiesListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#550of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Florida State's position moves 38 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Florida State

Florida State University is a public institution in Tallahassee, Florida. Federal data show 96.0% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $11,297 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $32,260 sticker cost against $11,297 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Florida State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$5,656

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$18,786

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,474

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $32,260 a year, but the average family pays $11,297 — a 65% difference. 23.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Florida State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    96.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    32,212

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Florida State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $18,786 and on-campus room and board is $13,474, for a published total of $32,260 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $11,297.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 24.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Georgia

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Georgia: U.S. News ranks it #46 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #57 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #203 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #151 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #48 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 Lots of Greek Life; QS ranks it #526 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 32,137 undergraduates, admits 37.7% of applicants, and posts a 89.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $31,688; aid recipients pay $13,936 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,726.

    Acceptance rate
    37.7%
    Average net price
    $13,936
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $68,726
    6-yr graduation rate
    89.7%
    US News · National universities#46 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#57 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#203 of 1,504+5 more on profile

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    University of Florida

    Gainesville, FLPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Florida: U.S. News ranks it #30 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #30 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #113 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #83 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #31 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #213 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 35,629 undergraduates, admits 24.2% of applicants, and posts a 91.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,659; aid recipients pay $6,541 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $71,588.

    Acceptance rate
    24.2%
    Average net price
    $6,541
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $71,588
    6-yr graduation rate
    91.1%
    US News · National universities#30 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#30 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#113 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    35,629 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 9 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    San Diego State University

    San Diego, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    San Diego State University: U.S. News ranks it #117 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #87 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #115 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #163 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #248 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1092 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 35,377 undergraduates, admits 36.2% of applicants, and posts a 76.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,328; aid recipients pay $15,364 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,909.

    Acceptance rate
    36.2%
    Average net price
    $15,364
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,909
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.4%
    US News · National universities#117 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#87 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#115 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    35,377 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 28 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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