(The Center Square) – For the 10th year in a row, Florida has topped a U.S. News & World Report list of states with the best higher education.
Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the ranking Monday at a news conference at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“There’s a lot that has gone into that,” the governor said of the top ranking. “Maybe the thing that I am most proud of is that if you look at what it costs to go to our state universities as a Florida resident, the tuition is exactly the same as it was the day I took office.”
He also praised the state’s Bright Future Scholarship program.
“If you are a Florida high school student and you get into the University of Florida, chances are you qualify for Bright Future and that gives you 100% tuition or 75% depending on the level that you are doing,” DeSantis said.
Tuition is manageable even for those without large scholarships, DeSantis said.
“You can work a part-time job and you really do not need to take out loans to go to our state universities as a Florida resident,” he said.
Seventy-seven percent of undergraduates in Florida have no college loans, the governor said.
The stable tuition has proven particularly helpful to parents who chose to participate in Florida’s prepaid college tuition program, the governor said.
“You can start when the baby is born,” DeSantis said. “You pay a little bit and basically when it comes time for Johnny or Susie to go to college, their tuition has been paid for.”
The program factored in modest tuition increases over the years.
“That’s a safe assumption,” DeSantis said Monday. “But tuition has remained flat so they have actually refunded our prepaid families. You did prepay and you are getting a check back and your kids can still go tuition-free. I was really proud of that.”
He asked what states like New York or California would do if they were in a position to refund money to parents.
“Do you think they would refund it to you?” DeSantis asked. “No. I don’t think we even have to discuss that.”
The University of Florida was ranked seventh nationally on the U.S. News list of best public universities. A total of seven Florida schools made the top 100 list. New College ranked 10th nationally among public liberal arts colleges.
Seven other Florida colleges ranked in top 100 nationally for best public colleges fore veterans, DeSantis said.
