The cost of education may be high and still rising, but residents of Central Florida have available to them several options in higher education.
Valencia College
Valencia College was known as Valencia Community College until the school added two Bachelor’s of Science degrees their program in the fall of 2011. VC has eight campuses in Orange County Florida. The college is situated in the Orlando area and is close to the University of Central Florida. Florida community colleges may be the best deal in the state. Not only is tuition substantially less expensive, but also students are guaranteed admittance to any Florida public university upon graduation. The cost is almost half of the tuition to a four-year university. Valencia offers A.A. degrees, numerous A.S. degrees, and B.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Radiology. Valencia also offers a “direct-connect” program in which it partners with UCF to make the student’s transition to a four-year institution smooth and successful.
Valencia Estimated Cost of Attendance For Fall/Spring-2012
Tuition: $2,472
Books: $1,178
Room & Board: $5,181
Transportation: $2,826
Personal Exp: $470
Total: $12,127
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida is a four-year institution located in Orlando Florida. UCF offers 92 different Bachelor’s degrees, but is best known for its Engineering department. UCF began in 1963 as Florida Technological University. Engineering was a focus of the university from the beginning because of its close proximity to NASA. Today companies such as Siemens and Lockheed Martin have large facilities in Central Florida and many times those companies recruit directly from UCF. According to its website UCF is host to 58,587 students, which makes it one of the largest student bodies in the United States. Despite the large number of students, the campus doesn’t feel too cramped. The grounds of the main campus encompass 1,415 acres. The main campus is so large, most students ride bicycles or skateboards between the buildings.
UCF Estimated Cost of Attendance for Fall/Spring 2011-2012
Tuition and Fees: $4518
Books: $924
Room & Board: $8574
Transportation: $1800
Personal Exp: $2,276
Total Cost: 18,093
Rollins College
Rollins is a small private college is Winter Park Fla. that specializes in Liberal Arts and Business Administration. For the fifth year in a row Rollins was ranked the among the top Southern master’s level universities in “America’s Best Colleges,” released by U.S. New and World Report. Rollins was founded in 1885 by Congregationalist church members who had relocated to Florida from New England and is a fixture in the history of Central Florida. For the fall 2010 semester Rollins reports only 3,226 students that will walk the tree covered pathways of the campus. Of coarse, all this prestige comes with a price.
Rollins College Cost of Attendance for Fall/Spring 2011-2011
Tuition: $38,400
Room: $7060
Board: $4940
Total Cost: $50,400