Students are really thinking about where they want to spend the next part of their lives as college application season starts.
The goal of WalletHub was to help students find the best place to live. To do this, analysts looked at 31 key indicators of academic, social, and economic possibilities for students in more than 400 U.S. cities of different sizes.
Researchers looked at many things, such as the city’s cost of living, crime rate, and level of higher education.
Orlando, Tampa, and Miami are all in the top 10 places for college students.
The best city in Florida was Orlando, which came in at No. 3 overall. Analysts found that even though it is a big city, it has the 19th-cheapest fees for in-state students, which includes room and board, at just $24,036 per year.
It also has good schools; researchers said they ranked it 57th out of more than 400 places they looked at for school quality.
WalletHub also said that Orlando has a lot of fun things for students to do because there are a lot of sites, sports clubs, shopping centers, food trucks, and coffee shops per person.
Being ranked as one of the best big cities for students in large part due to its high social environment rank (No. 5 in that area).
Overall, Tampa came in fifth, and it was also a great place to be social, ranking No. 7.
The social environment looked at things like the percentage of people aged 18 to 35, the percentage of single people, the gender balance of students, the number of nightlife choices per person, the number of sports clubs per person, and the number of breweries per person.
Gainesville and Tallahassee, which are both mid-sized towns and home to the University of Florida and Florida State University, were ranked in the top 10.
Researchers said it’s important to choose the right college, but it’s also important to make sure the area is a nice place to live.
College can be a lot less stressful and a lot more fun if you go to a town with a low cost of living, lots of things to do, and a lot of students. Also, places with strong economies can make it easier to find work while in college or right after, said Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub.
