Best Online Engineering Programs in Gainesville, FL (2026)

Gainesville, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $2,563 to $14,353 per year for indexed programs. Gainesville has a population of about 143,611. Median household income is $45,611 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Gainesville, FL metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $138,930 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Gainesville

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near Gainesville. Distances are calculated from Gainesville city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Gainesville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 2.2 miles from Gainesville BOC Score93.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Santa Fe College

Gainesville, FL 5.3 miles from Gainesville BOC Score63.4
Published tuition$2,563 - $14,353
Online programsYes

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#3

North Florida Technical College

Starke, FL 23.1 miles from Gainesville BOC Score55.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

College of Central Florida

Ocala, FL 37.1 miles from Gainesville BOC Score56.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

Florida Gateway College

Lake City, FL 37.9 miles from Gainesville BOC Score63.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida engineering page.


Engineering Wages Near Gainesville

Gainesville is part of the Gainesville, FL metro area (BLS area code 23540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer$97,710Gainesville, FL$101,044
Electrical Engineer$104,780FL statewide$108,356
Mechanical Engineer$75,490Gainesville, FL$78,066
Chemical Engineer$109,000FL statewide$112,720
Aerospace Engineer$129,280FL statewide$133,692
Biomedical Engineer$101,730FL statewide$105,202
Environmental Engineer$126,440Gainesville, FL$130,755
Architectural and Engineering Manager$138,930Gainesville, FL$143,671

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Gainesville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population143,611Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$45,611Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+51.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Alachua County1,406 workers, 188 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Gainesville, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Gainesville. The closest is University of Florida in Gainesville, FL (2.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florida Gateway College (37.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Gainesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Gainesville are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($138,930), Aerospace Engineer ($129,280), Environmental Engineer ($126,440). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Ocala instead of Gainesville?

Ocala, FL is 36.6 miles from Gainesville and has its own set of local engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Gainesville an affordable place to study engineering?

Gainesville’s median household income of $45,611 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gainesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Gainesville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Gainesville:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.