Top 20 Christian Colleges in Florida in 2024

Hobe Sound Bible College provides a Christ-centered, Bible-based education in the Wesleyan tradition. The school, committed to conservative Bible holiness standards, was launched in 1960 and is nondenominational. The college accepts 100 percent of the students who apply.

Located in Graceville, FL, The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). According to BCF President Thomas A. Kinchen, “Our single purpose is to educate and train those individuals whom God has called to serve Him in a multitude of forms and places around the world. The diversity of service is as big as the mind and heart of God.”

Operating within the context of a Christian worldview, BCF offers three Master of Arts degrees in Christian Studies, Counseling, and Music and Worship Leadership; 18 Bachelor of Arts Degrees including biblical studies, missions, psychology, education, music and many more. Each degree is available on campus and online including the large dual enrolled program for homeschool or private school juniors and seniors.

Student life is enhanced by intramural sports, student dorm competitions and inspirational worship services held every Monday through Wednesday in the historical R. G. Lee Chapel. Special programs include the Prayer, Missions, Preaching, and Evangelism Conferences, Powell Lectures, Annual English Division Play, numerous musical concerts and performances. BCF hosts popular artists throughout the year including the Grammy award-winning contemporary Christian recording group Casting Crowns with the lead singer, Mark Hall, a 1995 BCF graduate.

The University of Fort Lauderdale is a small, non-denominational Christian school founded in 1995. Its mission is “to be a premier Christian institution of higher learning empowering future leaders through higher educational degrees rooted in Biblical principles and academic excellence, to influence the world intellectually, technologically, and through research.”

Johnson University Florida offers dozens of degree programs, men’s and women’s sports programs, and a small campus environment in the heart of Kissimmee, Florida. Study business, psychology, music, ministry leadership, elementary education, and more!

Trinity Baptist College was founded in 1974 and exists to strengthen students for service, purpose, and leadership. Offering a higher education with a Biblical worldview, TBC maintains close ties to a local church and has a long history of community service as well as national and international missions involvement. Students benefit from real-world experience through dozens of internship opportunities.

Trinity International University has three campuses, including the two in Florida and one in Illinois. It was founded in 1897 on the cornerstone that all wisdom lies in Jesus Christ. It began in 1897 when the Swedish Evangelical Free Church began a Bible study in the basement of a church in Chicago. From there, it grew and now is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Barry University is a Catholic college founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. It offers opportunities for maintaining Catholic identity through worship and through the Catholic intellectual tradition, which integrates study, reflection, and action to inform intellectual life. All are welcome, regardless of whether they are Catholic or not.

Palm Beach Atlantic University is an interdenominational Christian college founded in 1968. Although it has traditional residential students, it is geared primarily toward adult learners, especially those earning a degree while working. Community service is a key component of its program.

South Florida Bible College’s mission is to keep the Bible central “in preparing men and women for ministry to serve Christ and His Church through Biblical thought and Christian life.” It is interdenominational and accepts all those who apply to attend.

Ave Maria University is a Catholic university devoted to the Virgin Mary and inspired by Saints John Paul II and Teresa of Calcutta. The Mother Teresa project, which includes service projects, a museum, and special scholars program centered around her values of serving others is a major component of the experience there. The university was founded in response to the call of Vatican II for greater education for the laity.

Bethune-Cookman University is a merger between two schools. Bethune was originally founded in 1904 by Mary McLeod Bethune Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. Cookman was founded in 1872. The schools merged, became coed, and affiliated with the Methodist Church in 1923. Its mission is to develop global leaders committed to service, lifelong learning, and diversity by providing a faith-based environment of academic excellence and transformative experiences.

Florida Memorial University is a historically African-American college, originally founded as the Florida Baptist Institute to educate ministers and their children. Through the years, it has merged with Florida Normal Industrial and Memorial College, expanded onto a new campus, and been renamed. It is still affiliated with the Baptist church and with the United Negro College Fund.

Trinity is an evangelical Christian Bible college established in 1932 and affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. The college is committed to producing Christian leaders. It offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees only; those who graduate with bachelor’s degrees in any field also simultaneously earn a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology.

Saint Leo University is a Catholic university founded in 1889 by the Order of Saint Benedict of Florida. It has a diverse student body; 41 percent of its students are from underrepresented populations, and students come from 80 foreign countries. The university seeks balanced growth of body, mind, and spirit and is open to all faiths.

St. Thomas is a Catholic university that traces its roots to the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva, founded in Havana by Augustines in 1946. When Castro expelled the  Augustines, several came to the Miami area, where they founded what became St. Thomas. It strives to prepare students for leadership in all areas of their lives and has a progressive outlook.

Southeastern University originally began in 1935 in Alabama and has changed locations throughout the Southeast over the past 90 years. It is affiliated with the Assembly of God denomination but welcomes students from all Christian faiths. It provides a Spirit-empowered education in a Christ-centered, student-focused learning community. It is a growing university; student enrollment has increased 215 percent since 2010, including many online-only and part-time students.

Florida Southern College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and, founded in 1883, is the state’s oldest private university. It emphasizes experiential education and offers a variety of internships, research options, and study abroad options. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed 12 of the college’s buildings, representing the largest collection of Frank-Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in the world.

Eckerd College is a Presbyterian Church affiliated college on the Florida Gulf Coast, founded in 1960. It combines study, research, and internships as part of its liberal arts education program. Community service is integral to its programs; many of its students study abroad or join the Peace Corps. It offers bachelor’s degrees only.

Warner was originally founded in 1968 by Church of God pastors and laity. Its core values are engagement, service, and stewardship, and it tries to form leaders who evaluate issues and strive to live out their lives in Christian ideals. Students also are expected to earn 21 spiritual credits each semester. It has an ethnically, diverse student body.

Edward Waters College is the state’s first college established for the education of African Americans. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Church (AME) and the United Negro College Fund. It values the diversity of all its students’ backgrounds and seeks to provide a liberal arts education that is “rigorous, inclusive, pragmatic, socially relevant and responsible. ”  It provides bachelor’s degrees only.