Florida Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 31 public colleges in Florida with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University leads the list by accepting 21% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Florida Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate
21%

Tallahassee, Florida

24%

Gainesville, Florida

24%
40%
43%

Jacksonville, Florida

53%
55%

Pensacola, Florida

58%

Lakeland, Florida

58%

Fort Myers, Florida

63%

Boca Raton, Florida

66%

Sarasota, Florida

73%

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

100%
100%

Marianna, Florida

100%

Daytona Beach, Florida

100%
100%
100%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.