Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Florida, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Associate Degrees in Florida

General studies associate degrees in Florida are five programs, every one of them at a private nonprofit college and none at a public one, and 3 meet the ranking threshold. The degree here means Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale, Southeastern University in Lakeland, Baptist University of Florida in Graceville, Trinity College of Florida and Hobe Sound Bible College.

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale scores highest at 64.6, 77th on the national associate ranking, and the score comes from size and completion together: 251 general studies associate degrees in the latest year, more than the other four programs combined, and a 61% graduation rate, against tuition and fees of $24,136. Southeastern University follows at 46.2 with 76 graduates, a 43% graduation rate, $31,732 and an online option. Baptist University of Florida scores 44.1 on 13 graduates, a 52% graduation rate and $13,800, also online.

Below the threshold, Trinity College of Florida in Trinity awarded 17 degrees at $16,300, and Hobe Sound Bible College awarded 1 at $9,068 with a 50% graduation rate. Two of the 5 programs can be finished online, and every one of them charges residents and nonresidents the same price.

The 3 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Florida

The best general studies associate degrees in Florida are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Florida. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale

   Florida

   64.6

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   61%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $24,136 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   251

   • College graduation rate percentile 96 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 5 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 80 / 100

   About the Program

   Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale is a private nonprofit university with 20,888 students on its rolls. It conferred 251 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 80% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. A 61% graduation rate puts the college at the 96th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees hold at $24,136 a year whichever state you come from. Applicants face little risk of rejection, because 97% are admitted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 96th percentile.

2. 2

   Southeastern University

   Florida

   46.2

   • Private nonprofit
   • Fully Online Option

   College graduation rate

   43%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $31,732 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   76

   • College graduation rate percentile 74 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 2 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 50 / 100

   About the Program

   Lakeland, Florida is home to Southeastern University, a private nonprofit university of 11,510 students. It conferred 76 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 50% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 43%, the 74th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $31,732 a year in tuition and fees. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 53% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 74th percentile.

3. 3

   Baptist University of Florida

   Florida

   44.1

   • Private nonprofit
   • Fully Online Option

   College graduation rate

   52%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $13,800 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   13

   • College graduation rate percentile 88 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 9 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 7 / 100

   About the Program

   Graceville, Florida is home to Baptist University of Florida, a private nonprofit university of 717 students. It conferred 13 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 7% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. A 52% graduation rate puts the college at the 88th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees hold at $13,800 a year whichever state you come from. The degree can be finished entirely online, which suits anyone who cannot move or stop working. Getting in is not automatic, because 36% of applicants are admitted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 88th percentile.

Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Florida

The other general studies associate degrees in Florida awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Florida?

A general studies associate degree in Florida costs a median of $16,300 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, and there's no resident discount anywhere on the list because all five colleges are private. Hobe Sound Bible College is lowest at $9,068, Baptist University of Florida charges $13,800, Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale $24,136 and Southeastern University $31,732. Keiser's 61% graduation rate is the highest at this level, so the second most expensive program is also the one where you're most likely to finish.

State aid at this level runs through the public route. The Florida Public Student Assistance Grant goes to degree-seeking students enrolled in at least 6 semester hours a term, so half-time students qualify, and it pays between $200 and the maximum set each year in the General Appropriations Act, based on unmet financial need. That grant applies to a Florida College System associate in arts, the public two-year route, while the private colleges on this page set their own aid. So ask Keiser, Southeastern or Baptist University of Florida for a net price after institutional aid, and set it beside what the public associate in arts would cost you with the grant.

Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Florida?

A general studies associate degree from one of Florida's private colleges transfers on the receiving university's own terms, because the state's guarantees are written for the associate in arts from a Florida College System institution. State law requires a statewide articulation agreement that must preserve Florida's 2+2 system, and under it every associate in arts graduate of a Florida College System institution has met all general education requirements and must be admitted to the upper division of a state university. Those graduates also get priority over out-of-state students.

The associate in arts is defined in law as no more than 60 semester hours including 36 of general education, and every public college and university must accept the statewide general education core courses on transfer even if it doesn't offer the identical course. The statewide course numbering system covers public and participating private institutions, so ask Keiser, Southeastern or Baptist University of Florida which of their general studies courses carry a statewide number.

Reverse transfer is in the same statute and runs the other way: if you earned more than 30 credit hours toward an associate in arts at a Florida College System institution and finish the requirements at a state university, the college must award you the associate degree. It protects a public-college start, not a private general studies degree.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Florida?

Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Florida pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Florida

How to choose a general studies associate degree program in Florida starts with whether you want this specific degree at a private college or the public associate in arts that the state's transfer law rewards. If it's this degree, the three ranked programs pull apart on completion and price in opposite directions: Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale graduates 61% at $24,136, Baptist University of Florida 52% at $13,800 and Southeastern University 43% at $31,732. Southeastern and Baptist University of Florida are the two you can finish online, and Keiser's 251 graduates a year make it a different scale of program from Baptist's 13.

Ask each college for its net price after institutional aid, because published tuition and fees at this level run from $9,068 to $31,732 and tell you little about the bill. Ask how many of its general studies graduates went on to a bachelor's and where, and whether its courses carry statewide course numbers. Then ask yourself whether a Florida College System associate in arts, with guaranteed upper-division admission at a state university, serves the same goal for less.

If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Florida have their own page.