Best Data Science Degree Programs in Florida, 2026 Rankings

Verdict: Florida data science students benefit from the state's distinctive merit-based aid stack, Bright Futures Scholarship covers up to 100% of in-state public tuition for Florida Academic Scholars tier, combined with growing DS-specific programs at UCF, USF, FIU, and FSU. Combined with no state income tax and rapidly growing Florida tech employer demand (Miami fintech, Orlando entertainment DS, Tampa fintech and cyber), Florida DS education delivers strong cost-to-quality economics for in-state merit-eligible students.

Bright Futures Scholarship covers up to 100% of in-state public tuition for Florida Academic Scholars (~3.5+ GPA + 1330+ SAT or 29+ ACT) and 75% for Florida Medallion Scholars (~3.0+ GPA + 1210+ SAT or 25+ ACT). For UCF, USF, FIU, or FSU DS-track students with Bright Futures eligibility, in-state tuition can drop to essentially zero before considering federal Pell.

Florida's DS-specific institutional strength is UCF, one of the largest US undergraduate institutions with growing DS programs across the Department of Statistics and Data Science and CS department's DS emphasis. USF (Tampa) has substantial DS programs aligned with its CyberFlorida operations. Florida International University (FIU, Miami) has growing DS programs with Latin America bridge research focus.

Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) provides up to ~$2,610/year need-based aid. EASE Grant offers up to $3,500/year for FL residents at private FL colleges. The Florida Prepaid College Plan is distinctive, Florida families can lock in current tuition rates for future enrollment. Federal Pell stacks on top. Industry-track scholarships from Florida-based DS employers (Citadel Miami DS, Disney Streaming DS, Universal Orlando DS, Fidelity National Financial DS) provide additional funding most students don't pursue.

Use our interactive ROI calculator to estimate your return on investment for a data science degree in Florida. Enter your expected tuition costs, financial aid, and career goals to see projected payback periods and lifetime earnings. The calculator uses current salary data from BLS and tuition data from IPEDS to provide accurate estimates.

Data sources: BLS OEWS May 2024, IPEDS 2024. Calculations use median salaries, 3% discount rate, and assume salary growth declines from 6% to 2% over career. Individual results will vary. | Powered by Hakia.com

Verdict: Florida's 2+2 transfer system between the 28-school Florida College System (FCS) and the State University System guarantees admission to a SUS institution for AA-degree graduates. The DS-specific dimension is that UCF's DS-track admission is particularly accessible (UCF is one of the larger US public universities by enrollment with substantial DS-track capacity), combined with DirectConnect to UCF guaranteeing admission for 6 specific community colleges, this creates one of the most reliable US 2-year-to-4-year DS transfer paths.

DirectConnect to UCF community colleges are Valencia College (Orlando), Eastern Florida State College (Cocoa, near Cape Canaveral), College of Central Florida (Ocala), Lake-Sumter State College, Seminole State College, and Daytona State College. Students at these schools who complete an AA degree with 2.0+ GPA are guaranteed UCF admission, and UCF's accessible DS-track admission via Statistics or CS departments produces well-employed graduates into Florida's DS market.

Best Florida community college DS-feeder schools: Valencia College (DirectConnect to UCF), Miami Dade College (largest CS/DS enrollment in Florida, FIU feeder), Hillsborough Community College (USF feeder, Tampa metro), St. Petersburg College, Broward College, and Tallahassee Community College (FSU feeder). Each has refined DS prerequisite sequences (calculus, statistics, linear algebra, intro programming) aligned to FCS articulation.

Beyond UCF: University of South Florida (USF, Tampa) has substantial DS programs through its CS and Statistics departments plus alignment with CyberFlorida operations. Florida International University (FIU, Miami) has growing DS programs with substantial Latin America bridge research. Florida State University (FSU, Tallahassee) has CAE-CD designation and strong Statistics DS-track programs. University of Florida (UF, Gainesville) has growing DS programs through its Department of Statistics and the Florida Institute for National Security (Center for AI Research). For Florida DS-track students, the UCF pathway is the volume optimization with accessible admission; USF is the Tampa-area research-DS optimization; FIU is the Miami fintech / Latin America DS optimization; UF is the elite optimization for the most competitive applicants.

Verdict: Florida has the fastest-growing major US data science job market by tech-worker in-migration, driven by no state income tax, lower cost of living than coastal peers, and substantial DS-employer relocations since 2020 (most prominently Citadel HQ to Miami). Three distinctive Florida DS markets: Miami fintech and Latin America bridge DS (Citadel, crypto/Web3 firms, Bridgewater Associates Miami, Mercado Libre operations), Orlando entertainment DS (Disney Streaming, Universal Orlando data, Disney's substantial digital DS operation, Riot Games Florida), and Tampa fintech and cybersecurity DS (substantial growth at PwC, KPMG, Citi, Bank of America Tampa operations).

By metro: Miami averages ~$125,000-$160,000 for data scientist roles per Levels.fyi and industry compensation surveys, with substantial premiums at Citadel's Miami operations and at growing crypto/Web3 firms, quant DS roles at Citadel Miami routinely pay $250,000-$500,000+ total comp. Orlando averages ~$110,000-$140,000 with Disney's substantial digital DS organization as the dominant employer (recommendation engines for Disney+, theme park operational DS for both Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line, Disney Streaming search/discovery DS), Universal Orlando data analytics, plus defense/simulation DS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Tampa averages ~$110,000-$140,000 with growing financial-services DS at Citi Tampa operations, Bank of America Tampa, Raymond James DS, plus PwC and KPMG DS consulting.

Jacksonville has substantial financial-services DS at Fidelity National Financial (one of the largest US title insurance companies, substantial DS operation) and Black Knight (now ICE Mortgage Technology, mortgage tech DS at scale). Tallahassee has state-government DS plus growing FSU research DS.

Two distinctive Florida DS dynamics: (1) Citadel's Miami operations are the highest-compensation DS opportunity in Florida, but the work pattern is quant-finance intense and cultural fit is specific. For DS graduates who fit Citadel's profile, Miami offers the rare combination of NYC-level quant DS compensation without NYC cost of living. (2) Disney's substantial digital DS organization in Orlando is one of the most-underrated US entertainment-DS career paths, recommendation engines for Disney+ at scale, theme park operational analytics, character interaction DS at Walt Disney Imagineering, plus growing Disney AI initiatives. The Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBR) creates privacy-engineering compliance work that intersects with DS at FL consumer-tech operators. See AI/ML Engineer Career Guide and Data Analyst Career Guide.

Last Updated: June 26, 2026. Rankings based on IPEDS 2024 data. Salary data from BLS OEWS May 2024.