Best General Studies Schools Near Gainesville, FL (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Gainesville, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $2,710 to $18,424 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 general studies-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $93,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to Gainesville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Gainesville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gainesville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL 2.2 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
83.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $4,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 2.4 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
93.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 172

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Santa Fe College

Gainesville, FL 5.3 miles from Gainesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,631
Avg net price $11,098/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

General Studies 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Managers $93,220 Gainesville, FL $96,401
Management Analysts $78,850 Gainesville, FL $81,541
Human Resources Specialists $57,520 Gainesville, FL $59,483
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $70,920 Gainesville, FL $73,340
Writers and Authors $68,080 FL statewide $70,403
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $58,730 Gainesville, FL $60,734
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $61,910 Gainesville, FL $64,023
Social and Community Service Managers $76,800 Gainesville, FL $79,421

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

Metric Value Source
Population 143,611 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $45,611 Census 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

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With General Studies Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near Gainesville, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Gainesville. The closest is University of Florida-Online in Gainesville, FL (2.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of Central Florida (37.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Gainesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Gainesville are: General and Operations Managers ($93,220), Management Analysts ($78,850), Social and Community Service Managers ($76,800). 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 general studies 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 general studies?

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 General Studies Programs

Other Programs Available in Gainesville

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

Data verified: September 5, 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.

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