For the third year in a row, Orlando ranks as the No. 2 Best College City in America among large cities, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list. The City Beautiful maintained the No. 3 spot among cities overall — making this the fifth year Orlando has placed in the top five nationally.

The rankings serve as a go-to guide for prospective college students deciding where to pursue their college journey. WalletHub dives deep, considering 31 key factors, from the quality of higher education to academic, social and economic opportunities, to pinpoint the best of the best college towns and cities among more than 400 U.S. cities.

As WalletHub puts it, a college’s geographical location matters as much as its curriculum and social environment. And Orlando has all the perks you’d imagine — from a reasonable cost of living to academic and work prospects to a wide variety of activities that make for a fun social environment for students. To top it off, WalletHub named Orlando the No. 1 Best Foodie City in America for 2023, and it has remained in the top five ever since — solidifying its reputation as a food lover’s paradise.

“All of the restaurants [in Orlando] are incredible, and it’s so fun finding ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurants and sharing them (with) your friends,” says Jean-Thomas Mateesco ’24, an advertising and public relations alum.

Opportunity abounds in Orlando — one of the fastest-growing cities in Central Florida and home to �鶹ӳ����ý.

Many factors led Shannon Nauta ’24, a �鶹ӳ����ý art alum who minored in event management and art history, from her home state of New Jersey to �鶹ӳ����ý — including its internationally recognized Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

“I decided on �鶹ӳ����ý because I am interested in pursuing a career within the industry,” Nauta says. “�鶹ӳ����ý has amazing programs that provide opportunities for experience and immersion in the creative and hospitality fields, with Orlando as the perfect location [home to world-famous attractions, resorts, restaurants and more].”

�鶹ӳ����ý is uniquely positioned amongst a variety of industries, including hospitality, healthcare, tech and aerospace. And some of the nation’s top companies, such as Electronic Arts, Lockheed Martin, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital and Walt Disney World Resort have all planted roots in Orlando and have partnerships with �鶹ӳ����ý. Students can chart their path to success by accessing industries and experiences that are connected to their coursework. The knowledge they’ll gain, discoveries they’ll make and personal growth they’ll achieve while studying at �鶹ӳ����ý will come to benefit them for a lifetime.

Among factors like abundant activities, safety and plenty of jobs, “some of the best college towns blend great academics with low costs,” says WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe.

Orlando ranks among the top 40 cities with the best cost of higher education, per WalletHub’s 2024 rankings release. Here, the cost of “in-state tuition, room and board and other college expenses are among the lowest in the country,” Happe says.

For the ninth year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the state of Florida No. 1 in the nation for higher education, with Orlando offering the 14th-lowest tuition (including room and board) for in-state students.

A thriving hub of innovation and economic growth, Orlando maintained the No. 1 spot for Best City to Start a Career among Florida cities, according to WalletHub’s 2025 list. The city retains the No. 2 spot among cities overall. WalletHub compared the relative market strength and overall livability of more than 180 U.S. cities to achieve these rankings. Each city was examined by 26 key factors, ranging from the availability of entry-level jobs to the monthly average starting salary to housing affordability.

Orlando’s thriving job market is one of the main reasons Nauta, an out-of-state student, moved to Orlando. While studying at �鶹ӳ����ý, she says she was able to work within the entertainment industry.

Mateesco shares a similar sentiment, adding that “other cities are becoming [overly saturated while] Orlando is an ever-growing city with loads of jobs and cool opportunities.”

Fortunately, new graduates are entering the workforce at a good time, with the current employment shortage and companies eager to hire.

“Orlando has the highest job growth rate of any city, at 8.69%, so it’s a good place for students to stay even after they’ve graduated,” Happe says.

The annual ranking is frequently used by high school seniors to help decide where to go for college. Using 32 key indicators of academic, economic and social opportunities, the study compares more than 400 cities across the U.S. to determine the best college towns and cities.

“Experts have argued that a school’s geographical location is just as important as a strong curriculum and supportive school environment to a student’s academic success and personal development,” WalletHub stated in the rankings release. “It’s in students’ interest to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, as well as one that provides good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college.”

Orlando is also ranked No. 2 for Social Environment, No. 26 for Cost of Higher Education, No. 46 for Quality of Higher Education, No. 93 for Academic and Economic Opportunities and No. 138 for Wallet Friendliness. Among the factors considered for the rankings are tuition costs, student loan debt, housing costs, city accessibility, student population demographics, presence of NCAA Division 1 sport teams, earning potential of graduates and entrepreneurial activity.

With 57% of first-time-in-college students at �鶹ӳ����ý graduating without any educational debt, Knight Nation is not only a great place to pursue a college degree, but one that sets students up for success after graduation. Orlando is home to headquarters for major tech and aerospace companies, such as EA, Lockheed Martin and Siemens, and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is located nearby. With more than 17,000 Knights graduating each year, �鶹ӳ����ý supplies the high-quality education and industry connections graduates need to land prosperous careers — as well as the talent needed for these dynamic tech industries.

In October, WalletHub also ranked �鶹ӳ����ý No. 133 out of the top 500 Best Colleges and Universities.

In September, Washington Monthly ranked �鶹ӳ����ý as the 47^th Best National University and No. 7 in the southeast for Best Bang for the Buck College. U.S. News & World Report also recently ranked �鶹ӳ����ý as the No. 64 Public School in the nation — the highest the university has placed in this category — and 41^st for social mobility among public schools. Last year, Education Reform Now ranked �鶹ӳ����ý Earlier this year, Education Reform Now ranked �鶹ӳ����ý No. 2 in the nation for social mobility�������貹����.

Currently, �鶹ӳ����ý students must “opt-in” to participate in this program. Last year, state law changed to allow universities to choose either an “opt-in” or “opt-out” model for these discounted course materials. Under an opt-out model, students would automatically be enrolled in this program and would have to manually opt-out to avoid charges being added to their student accounts.

�鶹ӳ����ý is not changing its current opt-in model. The opt-in model requires students to manually choose to participate in the program and receive discounted course materials.

First Day is just one part of �����’s Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) initiative, which focuses on reducing students’ course material costs. Many Library-Sourced digital textbooks are made available to students at no cost. And Open Educational Resources (OER) are course materials in the public domain or released under an open license free of charge. Together with First Day, these programs have saved students more than $11 million since 2016.

“�鶹ӳ����ý is on a path to become one of the nation’s leading metropolitan research universities because of our innovation and impact.”
— President Alexander N. Cartwright

Tying for 16th with Cornell University in the publication’s “Most Innovative Schools” category, �鶹ӳ����ý is Florida’s top-ranked school for innovation.

The Most Innovative Schools category recognizes institutions that are making the most innovative enhancements to their institutions in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities. Since the category was first introduced in 2015, �鶹ӳ����ý has been named on the annual list for the fourth consecutive year.

“�鶹ӳ����ý is on a path to become one of the nation’s leading metropolitan research universities because of our innovation and impact,” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Whether it is in a research lab or a virtual classroom, the ingenuity and commitment of our people shines through, transforming our students’ lives and society. Today’s rankings reflect our institution’s dedication to excellence, to solving tomorrow’s challenges and to charting a course that is unique to our strengths and values.”

Higher Education, Lower Debt

�鶹ӳ����ý ranked No. 47 on the new Least Debt list, which recognizes institutions for their students’ loan amounts and proportion of graduates that took out loans. At �鶹ӳ����ý, 50 percent of first time in college students graduate with no educational debt. �����’s student loan default rate is 2.4 percent, compared to the national average of 10.1 percent and 7.3 percent for Florida. �鶹ӳ����ý is also ranked among the nation’s best value colleges by Forbes, Kiplinger and The Princeton Review.

The university moved up eight spots to No. 62 nationally for top performers for social mobility. The category recognizes success with enrolling and graduating Pell Grant recipients.

�����’s engineering and computer science programs continue to earn national recognition. The university ranked No. 71 for best undergraduate computer science programs and No. 79 for best undergraduate engineering programs.

�鶹ӳ����ý is the No. 1 supplier of graduates to U.S. aerospace and defense industries for the sixth consecutive year, according to Aviation Week Network, and ranks second in the nation (only to Georgia Tech) for teaching the critical skills needed by employers. Also, 30 percent of Kennedy Space Center’s and 27 percent of Lockheed Martin Orlando’s workforces are �鶹ӳ����ý graduates.

�����’s student programming team earned bronze at the North American finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest this year.

National Excellence, Local Impact

Overall, �鶹ӳ����ý moved up two spots to rank No. 77 among public universities nationwide. �����’s undergraduate business program ranked No. 116.

The nation’s most innovative schools are selected by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans. While the specific reasons for those nominations are not identified, �鶹ӳ����ý has earned recognition in many areas.

�鶹ӳ����ý Downtown recently celebrated its one-year anniversary by winning the Golden Brick Award of Excellence, for the new campus’ extraordinary achievements and broad-reaching contributions. The downtown campus — a transformational partnership with Valencia College — has fostered numerous impactful community collaborations. These include the Parramore Education and Innovation District and the Parramore Healthy Community Coalition, which strive to reduce barriers to education and improve community health and well-being.

guarantees admission for transfers from six regional state colleges. The program is a national model for increasing access to a high-quality college education, improving social mobility for underserved populations and supplying talent to the workforce. Since it was established at �鶹ӳ����ý in 2006, more than 55,000 degrees have been awarded to students who entered the university through DirectConnect.

Innovating Curriculum Driven by Demand

In direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, �鶹ӳ����ý launched 11 new graduate certificate programs.

The programs, which began this fall, offer candidates a short series of courses that were specifically woven together to provide useful tools when facing COVID-19 related-challenges. The certificates, tracks and special topics courses cover a variety of fields from business and engineering to optics and health.

For example, the cyber risk management graduate certificate — which is also available through �鶹ӳ����ý Online — looks at the current cybersecurity and privacy matters affecting organizations and emphasizes managerial and risk-based approaches. Quarantines due to COVID-19 means more people are shopping and conducting work from home, thus driving demand for remote connections that increase security and privacy concerns for employers and employees.

The College of Health Professions and Sciences added a course to its graduate clinical speech pathology program geared toward preparing clinical professionals to meet the complex needs of patients hospitalized from COVID-19 and other related conditions.

�����’s Simulation, Technology, Innovation & Modeling (STIM) Center received accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the Council for Accreditation of Healthcare Simulation Programs. The STIM Center is based in the College of Nursing.

Innovating Digital Learning and Research

When the coronavirus pandemic forced all of Florida’s public colleges and universities to go fully remote last spring, �鶹ӳ����ý leveraged two decades of online learning expertise to make a smooth transition. University officials rolled out new websites with specialized resources — such as Keep Teaching for faculty and Keep Learning for students — and held a series of training workshops on effective online learning.

This fall, more than three-quarters of �����’s lecture, lab and discussion classes are online or remote, and only about one-quarter have an in-person experience.

Those additions also helped �鶹ӳ����ý prepare for a new hybrid class format called Blendflex. Offered for the first time this fall, the model splits a class of students into smaller groups to meet physical distancing requirements, with students attending one in-person class session per week. When not in a physical class, students can participate in the other sessions remotely in real-time, or access class content later through a recorded session.

Despite the unique challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, �鶹ӳ����ý welcomed one of its most accomplished incoming freshman classes for the Fall 2020 semester. The Class of 2024 entered the university having an average GPA of 4.18, the strongest in �鶹ӳ����ý history. The incoming freshmen also rank among the university’s top three classes for standardized test scores with average SAT and ACT scores of 1322 and 28.7, respectively.

Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked �鶹ӳ����ý among the top 20 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs in the nation for the third consecutive year. Over 100 fully online programs are now available through �鶹ӳ����ý Online, enabling students from anywhere in the world to enroll in fully online degree programs.

Innovating COVID-19 Research

In addition to catering curriculum to respond to the pandemic, �鶹ӳ����ý researchers are finding innovative ways to combat it.

�鶹ӳ����ý scientists are developing a nanoparticle film that would “catch” and kill COVID-19 on protective gear — like gloves, masks and gowns — to better shield healthcare providers.

The university is leading an effort to rapidly 3D-print critical personal protective equipment. �鶹ӳ����ý researchers are paving the way for medical face shields — and eventually multi-sized respirator masks — to be rapidly produced, up to as many as 1,500 a day.

Limbitless Solutions — a nonprofit on �����’s campus which develops 3D-printed bionic arms — has pivoted manufacturing to 3D print components of face shields as well as “earsaver” hooks that increase the comfort of surgical masks. Limbitless Solutions also is helping create prototypes of a low-cost compact and mobile ventilator that requires no electricity and can be widely produced.

Researchers are also working to co-develop a new, rapid-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray that instantly kills viruses without using harsh chemicals.

“I have been paycheck to paycheck my entire life. Through college, I was not making enough money to have any real savings. I had my neck barely above water,” says Vila, a manufacturing engineer at Texas Instruments who paid off his debt Jan. 21. “For the first time ever, I can finally stop being paycheck to paycheck. There’s no better feeling than that.”

Born in Puerto Rico, Vila moved to Fort Myers at age 10. In high school, he volunteered with the local fire department and found a passion for helping people. Initially, he didn’t want to go to college — he wanted to become a firefighter — but his parents, who are both college graduates, implored him to reconsider.

The decision changed the trajectory of his life.

During his first year at �鶹ӳ����ý, Limbitless Solutions was in its early stages of developing bionic prosthetics for children. Albert Manero ’12 ’14MS ’16PhD and other members of the Limbitless team gave a presentation to Vila’s Introduction to the Engineering Profession class, hoping to recruit some fellow students to join their mission.

“At the time, I was thinking about dropping out of engineering because I felt like engineering was kind of making people’s lives more convenient as opposed to making a massive impact,” Vila says. “Coming to �鶹ӳ����ý and finding Limbitless allowed me to bridge that gap between pursuing engineering and changing peoples’ lives at the same time. I’m incredibly grateful to Limbitless, particularly Albert Manero and John Sparkman who truly believed in me.”

About half of �鶹ӳ����ý students graduate with no debt. For Vila, that wasn’t the case.

He earned some scholarships, which he says paid for roughly 85 percent of his tuition. The rest he needed to figure out on his own, and he ended up incurring more than the average �鶹ӳ����ý student.

“I would say I was very much like every other college student. I really didn’t think about the long-term financial consequences to student loans. I just knew I needed money.” — Juan Diego Vila, �鶹ӳ����ý grad

“I would say I was very much like every other college student. I really didn’t think about the long-term financial consequences to student loans,” says Vila, who worked jobs at Chick-fil-A, 4 Rivers Smokehouse and an aquarium shop in addition to Limbitless throughout his time in college. “I just knew I needed money and that was it. In terms of how and when I was going to pay it back, I wasn’t sure.”

The realization hit him hard during his final semester. Vila saw how his family struggled with financial pressure throughout his life, and he knew he didn’t want that for himself.

So he quickly formed a plan to erase his debt in six months while still enjoying his life and creating a startup company.

It’s pretty simple. I made an Excel spreadsheet. How much money do I make? How much money do I spend? I subtracted one from the other. Now how many paychecks is it going to take for me to pay off the debt if I don’t change how much I spend? I wasn’t happy when I saw the result. My goal was to pay it off as soon as humanly possible.

I looked at all my expenses. I saw what I could cut away. Instead of buying food out in a restaurant, I started meal prepping. Instead of going to a coffee shop to get coffee, I made my coffee at home. Little things like that. And I put all of this in the Excel spreadsheet so I could really see the numbers go down. That established my budget. The rest of it was discipline to stick to the budget.
What was your budget?
When I graduated, I got a job with Texas Instruments. The base pay started at $76,000 and they gave me a $10,000 bonus to sign on. That $10,000 immediately went into my debt so that was a really nice jump start. Regardless of whether or not I would have gotten that, I would have had the same exact plan. It would have just taken me a little longer to pay it off.

Every single month, I would put about $3,000 into nothing but debt. About 50 percent of the money I was making every month would go straight to my student debt. The rest was to live and have fun.
Do you feel you had to make sacrifices?
I didn’t suffer. A lot of people are probably going to think I ate nothing but ramen all day every day and that’s not true at all. I still went out with my friends. I still had perfectly healthy food. Granted, I would meal prep and when I went out with my friends I wouldn’t splurge and spend a ton of money. But I was still having fun. My life felt perfectly balanced.

“It’s not that you have to sacrifice everything. It’s just about being conscious about what you’re spending money on.”

Right after I graduated, I went to seven countries in Europe, and again I budgeted it very, very strictly. But I got to travel for the first time outside of the country. When I got back, I moved to Texas — a state I’ve never been to before. The whole time, I still got to hang out with my friends. I went to a music festival. It’s not that you have to sacrifice everything. It’s just about being conscious about what you’re spending money on. The way that Dave Ramsey explains it is, it’s an every-dollar budget. You know where every dollar that you are spending is going. Every dollar has been planned. That doesn’t mean that it has to all go toward a debt. Some of it can go toward having fun.
Did �鶹ӳ����ý’s affordability help?
Yes. I am very happy that I went to �鶹ӳ����ý because of that. �鶹ӳ����ý is a high quality education with classes that don’t cost an astronomical amount. I know people [that went to other universities] who graduated with $60,000 or $90,000 in debt. If that would have been my case, again I wouldn’t have changed my game plan. I would have been just as aggressive, and it just would have taken more time.

“A lot of my friends that went to other universities like UF or Ivy League schools, they have told me, ‘Wow I kind of wish I went to school at �鶹ӳ����ý. It’s a great education and you’re not paying an incredible amount.’ ”

A lot of my friends that went to universities like UF or Ivy League schools, they have told me, “Wow I kind of wish I went to school at �鶹ӳ����ý. It’s a great education and you’re not paying an incredible amount.”
Do you have tips for students who are in the same position you were in?
A lot of people who graduate decide that because of their hard work to get their degree, they want to reward themselves with a brand new car or a house while still being in student debt. I think that’s the wrong way to look at things. You should instead reward yourself by getting out of debt. There’s no better reward than releasing that financial pressure. There’s no brand new car that’s going to give you that relief.

It takes a lot of hard work and diligence. You have to know where all your money is going. Sometimes your friends are going to want to go out on a day that you hadn’t planned on spending money. And you just have to be willing to say, “No. I’m on a mission and there’s nothing that can stop me. And if you are going to be supportive friends, then this should be OK with you.” And I’m happy that my friends were. Now all my friends are doing what I did to pay off their student debt.
How did your education and experience with Limbitless impact your life after graduation?
It made me into the person that I am, and it’s going to make a massive impact for my future. The combination made me see the world differently. I’ve always been somebody that had high aspirations and big goals, but I never quite had the tools to be able to execute them. And I think those experiences gave me the tools that I needed to be able to bring these goals to life.

The annual ranking lists 200 of the nation’s top colleges and universities selected out of 656 institutions that were reviewed.

The company used more than 40 data points to determine its rankings of a student’s return on investment. Topics that were looked at included academics, cost, financial aid, graduation rates, student debt, alumni salaries and job satisfaction. The schools are not ranked hierarchically on a single list from 1 to 200 by the tutoring, test prep and college-admission services company.

“Our commitment to affordability means more opportunities for students from all backgrounds to receive a high-quality education. We are proud �鶹ӳ����ý is once again recognized for transforming lives,” says Interim President Thad Seymour Jr.

Princeton surveyed administrators and students at the institutions, as well as alumni, their starting and mid-career salaries, and job-satisfaction figures.

The selected schools represent only 7 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities, says Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief, adding that schools on the list offer outstanding academics, generous financial aid or a relative low cost of attendance, and excellent career services.

�����’s best-value status has been recognized by other organizations, too, within the past few months.

Kiplinger and Forbes also both ranked �鶹ӳ����ý among the nation’s best education values; Washington Monthly magazine said �鶹ӳ����ý is the No. 25 “Best Bang for the Buck” university in the southeast; and the financial website WalletHub lists �鶹ӳ����ý in the top 100 schools for students to attain a degree from a top-performing university at the lowest cost.

Learn more about �鶹ӳ����ý’s top online bachelor’s degrees.

View the full list of �����’s rankings.

The marketing junior relies on federal financial aid to cover tuition and housing, gets a little help from home, and has a campus work-study job.  He’s on track to finish his undergraduate degree with less than $7,000 in student loans outstanding.

“I’m really grateful that I’m not graduating with a ton of debt,” said Nelson, 21, who is the first in his family to go to college. “I know people in their 40s still paying on student loans. Even though I have some debt I know I can pay it back very quickly because it is such a small amount. I most definitely will pay if off extremely quickly.”

But what of the alarming news students hear about the rising cost of college nationwide and how some graduates are crushed under the burden of large debt? It turns out that is not the story at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Federal statistics indicate that in the United States 42 million people owe $1.3 trillion in student-loan debt. The average student owes about $37,000 upon graduation, but in breaking down the numbers, most of that debt is concentrated among borrowers attending for-profit and non-selective institutions.

At �鶹ӳ����ý, where one out of every four students is a first-generation attendee, students graduate with some of the lowest debt in the nation. Almost half (44 percent percent) graduate with no debt. Of those who do incur debt – including those who transferred to �鶹ӳ����ý carrying some student loans – the average is $22,000. That’s about half the debt of graduates at for-profit institutions.

Those numbers help to explain why �鶹ӳ����ý is consistently ranked among the nation’s best values by Kiplinger and The Princeton Review. As one of the largest universities in the country with 64,000 students, �鶹ӳ����ý is ranked among the top 100 public universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.

�鶹ӳ����ý students such as Nelson say they feel they are borrowing smartly while earning a degree, and taking on less college-related debt as a result. Nelson, for example, borrowed $3,000 during his freshman year for living expenses and tuition.  He took out two loans for $2,000 each over the past year to cover his living expenses, partly because he missed the early deadline to apply for financial aid, he said.

“I just wasn’t paying attention,” Nelson said. “It’s not like �鶹ӳ����ý didn’t tell me, either. There were a bunch of emails and reminders. So I missed out on a lot of money,” he said.

Alicia Keaton, director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, said she asks students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early — by December — in order to improve the chances of receiving the financial aid for the following Fall semester.

When that’s not enough help, �鶹ӳ����ý has a program called A2O (Access to Scholarship Opportunities) that allows students to apply for a host of campus-wide scholarships using one application. Some 14,000 students used the service last year.

Keaton’s office advises students with two major tips: Only borrow what you need, and total student loans should not exceed half of your expected annual starting salary.

While here, students can take advantage of �����’s ¢ent$ible Knight$ program, which started in 2015 to teach financial literacy. Through 10 university services, including the Student Academic Resource Center, the Career Services Office and the FAIRWINDS Credit Union, students receive coordinated-debt counseling and materials to help them make the best financial choices. Keaton said she sees more students making the most of work-study jobs and scholarships, which, along with sensible spending, helps keep borrowing low.

And graduating is important. The majority of �鶹ӳ����ý alumni who earned a bachelor’s degree with no debt or less than $10,000 debt later reported higher levels of financial well-being. A degree also increases income-earning potential by 66 percent. Students who graduate rarely default on student loans, too.

Nelson said he benefited from the good advice from Student Financial Services early in his college years, which he credits with helping him learn the basics – apply early through FAFSA, borrow only what you need, seek out work-study jobs on campus, and make the most of any scholarships available.

Last year, Nelson held a work-study job at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. Now, he works for Briant Coleman, assistant vice president for communications and strategic initiatives. The pay from his work-study job, he said, will cover the costs of studying abroad this summer in Verona, Italy.

“I tell people to be aware of all the school has to offer and the requirements for financial aid. Don’t miss priority deadline. When you get those emails, read them in full, don’t just skim them,” he said.

Still, he’s thankful about his experience at �鶹ӳ����ý even though he has debt – because his education is a long-term investment.

“The truth is I’m so fortunate,” said Nelson. “I’m in college and I’m going to study in Italy this summer. It’s only my second time flying anywhere. It’s happening because I’m in school and I have these opportunities. I know I’m in a good situation and all of this is worth it.”

He owes $3,500 in student loans, and he’s working on paying that off before he graduates.

All of which makes Nelson a rare national statistic, but much more common at �鶹ӳ����ý: He expects to graduate with little to no debt.

“I don’t want to pay for college later,” he said. “I want to take care of it as I go.”

Nationally, about 43 million Americans owe nearly $1.3 trillion in student loans. In 2016, the average undergraduate will carry some $37,000 in student-loan debt.

Florida undergrads are in better shape than those around the nation. For the 2014-15 academic year, undergraduate students had some $25,000 of debt upon graduation.

At �鶹ӳ����ý, the news is even better. Forty-eight percent of undergraduates carry no debt upon graduation. For those who do incur debt, the average amount is $21,824.

Those numbers help to explain why �鶹ӳ����ý is consistently ranked among the nation’s best values by ����������Բ����’s and The Princeton Review.  As the second-largest university in the country with more than 63,000 students, �鶹ӳ����ý is ranked among the top 100 public universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, is number 20 for best online programs, and is ranked 13th — alongside Stanford and MIT — as most innovative.

“�鶹ӳ����ý makes excellent financial sense,” said Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services. “We offer a high-quality education with talented faculty members, and we work hard to keep students’ costs low. Students are our priority and our staff works one-on-one to help them earn their degree without a heavy debt burden.”

Ask for Help

Nelson said that as an incoming freshman he took out loans to cover tuition and living expenses. The costs worried him and his parents, who see even a few thousand in debt as a negative. So, working with director of student finance Alicia Keaton since his sophomore year, Nelson managed to squeeze by without more debt after securing enough money in federal grants and a campus work-study job at the Alumni Center. He has had a variety of off-campus jobs to help him pay for living expenses.

“Right now, I’m in good shape,” said Nelson, a first-generation student from Fort Lauderdale. He said Keaton taught him how to be more savvy about applying for aid, helped him get a work-study job that covers $2,000 a semester and to seek out grants.

“So many things I didn’t know about that if I had known my first year here, I would have done things differently,” he said.

But what about �����’s education?

“I’ve made so many contacts here, people who advise me or suggest I apply for this internship or that one,” said Nelson, whose campus job is at the Alumni Center. “My experience, the faculty and people who have helped me, it’s been invaluable.”

In fact, Nelson plans to stick around even after he receives his bachelor’s degree in marketing.

“I’m not leaving before I get my master’s,” he said. “I keep telling my mom, ‘Yes, I’m graduating in two years, but don’t forget, I want to study two more.’”

The Push: Financially Literate Students

Keaton, whose office serves thousands of students each year as they maneuver the complexities of financial aid, said she knows students are overwhelmed. The reams of forms they must fill out before first arriving on campus can be daunting, Keaton said, but her office assists to make things manageable. For some, especially first-generation students like Nelson, there’s no one at home who has the experience to guide them through the process of applying for aid.

“It’s a lot for some students. Some are terrified of debt. Some take on too much debt,” said Keaton. “We are always trying to find better ways to help them manage the cost of their education. I tell them that debt is not always bad, it just has to be properly managed.”

And, she added, “Never borrow more than you need.”

To help educate students, �鶹ӳ����ý launched in 2015 the program establishing the university’s biggest push to date to help students stave off debt. The effort has become the beginnings of a community-wide financial-literacy network accessible to students from high school to graduation.

Through the program, �鶹ӳ����ý counselors established an outreach effort with Maynard Evans High School in west Orange County, teaching financial literacy to high school seniors. In addition, 10 university services, including the Student Academic Resource Center and the FAIRWINDS Credit Union as well as the Career Services office joined the program, each providing similar debt counseling and materials to students.

“We needed to have a unified message so we didn’t confuse students as they went from one program or service to another,” Keaton said. “We’re on the same page now.”

Centi$ible Knight$ launched a website, too, that offers information, webinars, life skills classes and more to help students with financial literacy. Although it’s still in its infancy, the site has had more than 8,000 visitors and more than 200 students have successfully completed online financial courses on the site.

“It’s a start,” said Keaton, adding that the university now has a financial literacy committee and a financial literacy network that seek to educate the student body and encourage more engagement.

Using the website and the tutorials, the university targeted a number of student groups who might need more help with financial aid. Among them are: transfer students with more than $15,000 in debt; students enrolled less than full-time borrowing the maximum on Stafford Loans; incoming students who attend orientation; and first-generation students. The hope is that the university can work with the target students and help them keep costs down.

 ‘Some of them are advising their parents’

Professor Paul Gregg is the assistant chair and director for the Department of Finance at �鶹ӳ����ý. He teaches four finance courses, including the popular sophomore-level Personal Finance and Investments (FIN 2100). While teaching some 1,000 students each year, he’s learned his class goes far beyond a college credit.

“I’m teaching a life skill they desperately need,” said Gregg, who estimates some 12,000 students, two-thirds of them non-business majors, have taken his course. “It’s A to Z all they need to know to manage their financial future.”

Which sometimes makes the retired CFO’s class the first lesson some students get in financial literacy.

“From my corporate background, I saw a need to improve the financial literacy skills of our workforce,” he said. “This class is applicable to every aspect of their lives. It became very popular and just grew from there.”

What he found is that many students don’t understand how debt works, or how quickly you can find yourself with too much of it.

“Personal finance is actually microeconomics for the individual,” said Gregg, whose course covers student-loan debt, 401(k) strategies, stocks and bonds, real estate and retirement. “The (lending) system is geared to give people more rope than they need which is unnecessary. Once they take my class, some of them start advising their parents.”

Gregg said that as far as student loans, he gives them this advice: “Student debt is available regardless of your major. However, it takes income to repay debt, and the starting salaries of each major can vary materially. Thus, avoid debt if possible, and if you do have to borrow, never borrow more than half of your starting salary.”

Never Take On More Debt Than You Need

Keaton, Gregg and others say one of the biggest concerns they have about students taking on debt is that if they don’t understand that financial aid has limits, they might run out of money before they graduate. The overall maximum a dependent undergraduate student can borrow toward a four-year degree is $31,000, said Keaton. Independent undergrads can borrow more, up to $57,500.

“I see students who take out the maximum in financial assistance at, say, their community college, and then they realize they’re not eligible for more by senior year,” she said. “There are limits to how much you can borrow.”

Al Jonnas Alday graduated this summer with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. At 32, the native of the Philippines worked full-time, lived with his parents in Orlando and only used the financial aid he needed.

He’s graduating with $11,000 in debt.

“I think the best way (to keep debt low) is to take advantage of community college,” he said, which helped him keep down the cost of his first two years of college.

After that, he said, get information. Many students can qualify for things like scholarships, grants and other assistance.

‘Tremendous Support at �鶹ӳ����ý’

Hieu Pham, 22, of Orlando graduated this summer in electrical engineering with about $6,000 in student loans. As a transfer to �鶹ӳ����ý in his sophomore year, he took advantage of tuition scholarships granted through ROTC.

“The ROTC offered scholarships for electrical engineering students at �鶹ӳ����ý. I competed for the scholarships and I got one,” he said. “It was a huge relief for me.”

He is now a lieutenant in the Air Force stationed at Lackland AFB in Texas. He’s grateful his debt is so small.

“I can look ahead to my future and not worry,” said Pham. “�鶹ӳ����ý was good to me. And I’m relieved I could finish with very little to pay back.”

The first is that our modern, beautiful campus “already feels like home.” The second is that �鶹ӳ����ý offers a personal touch to students more commonly found in much smaller institutions – even though we are the second-largest university in the nation.

The third topic that students and families talk about is the cost of a college education. When addressing cost, my answer is simple: Consider cost, but also focus on value.

When you focus on value, the benefits of a college degree are clear: A college degree continues to be the most important investment you can make for a successful career and a brighter future.

From 2007 to 2012, during very tough employment times, people with baccalaureate degrees as a group experienced no net loss of jobs. Those who did not attend college, as a group, experienced a 10 percent decline in employment.

And a �鶹ӳ����ý degree, in particular, is an excellent investment that is affordable and valuable. For example, The Princeton Review, one of America’s best-known education services and test-preparation companies, has joined Kiplinger magazine in ranking a �鶹ӳ����ý education as one of the best academic buys in the nation.

Being a “best buy” has helped 49 percent of our students graduate without any �鶹ӳ����ý educational debt. Nationally, just 33 percent of students graduate debt-free.

And despite recent tuition increases across the state, Florida universities still have some of the least expensive tuition costs in the nation. The cost of an education at a Florida state university ranks 45th in the nation.  This means students have an opportunity to receive an outstanding education at one of the most affordable prices in the country.

Students and their families, however, know there is more to college costs than just tuition. Student fees fund important projects such as computer labs, academic services, recreational facilities and more.

These are services that students expect and also add value to their overall educational experiences. Further, �鶹ӳ����ý students play a key role in approving fees. Committees equally divided between students and employees annually review most fees, and students hold the tie-breaking vote in most committees.

At an affordable campus that “already feels like home,” �鶹ӳ����ý students learn to succeed in their studies, the workforce and in the community.

Dr. Gordon D. Chavis is the �鶹ӳ����ý’s associate vice president for Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Assistance and Student Outreach programs.