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As college application season continues, students are seriously considering where they want to spend the next chapter of their lives.
WalletHub wanted to help students narrow down the best place for them to settle in, so analysts compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes based on 31 key indicators of academic, social and economic opportunities for students.
Researchers looked into a range of factors including cost of living, crime rate and quality of higher education in the city.
Orlando, Tampa and Miami all made it into the top 10 large cities for college students.
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Orlando was the Florida city with the highest spot – at No. 3 overall. Despite being a big city, it remarkably has the 19th-cheapest tuition, including room and board for in-state students at just $24,036 per year, analysts found.
It also has high-quality education, ranking 57th among the more than 400 cities in our study for school quality, researchers said.
On top of that, WalletHub noted that Orlando gives students the opportunity to try a range of fun activities, with a high number of attractions, sports clubs, shopping centers, food trucks and coffee shops per capita.
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Miami being named one of the best big cities for students was largely thanks to its high social environment rank, coming in at No. 5 in that category.
Tampa had the fifth top spot overall, notably also scoring well in social environment at No. 7.
Social environment looked at factors such as share of population aged 18 to 35, share of single people, student gender balance, nightlife options per capita, sports clubs per capita and breweries per capita.
| Rank (1=Best) | Large City (Score) | Rank (1=Best) | Midsize City (Score) | Rank (1=Best) | Small City (Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, TX (65.16) | 1 | Scottsdale, AZ (59.92) | 1 | Ann Arbor, MI (62.67) |
| 2 | Orlando, FL (62.35) | 2 | Tempe, AZ (59.12) | 2 | Charlottesville, VA (59.27) |
| 3 | Tampa, FL (60.99) | 3 | Gainesville, FL (58.94) | 3 | Champaign, IL (56.01) |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC (60.99) | 4 | Boise, ID (56.91) | T-4 | College Station, TX (55.73) |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA (58.92) | 5 | Charleston, SC (56.48) | T-4 | Missoula, MT (55.59) |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ (58.54) | 6 | New Haven, CT (56.40) | 6 | West Lafayette, IN (55.53) |
| 7 | Miami, FL (57.69) | 7 | Tallahassee, FL (56.35) | 7 | Santa Barbara, CA (55.27) |
| 8 | Sacramento, CA (57.10) | 8 | Salt Lake City, UT (55.67) | 8 | Berkeley, CA (54.65) |
| 9 | Pittsburgh, PA (56.44) | 9 | Cary, NC (54.75) | 9 | Pullman, WA (54.34) |
| 10 | San Diego, CA (55.97) | 10 | Madison, WI (54.34) | 10 | Wilmington, NC (54.10) |
When it comes to midsized cities, Gainesville and Tallahassee – home to rival schools University of Florida and Florida State University – ranked in the top 10.
Researchers noted that picking the right college is crucial, but it’s also important to make sure the surrounding area is an enjoyable place to live.
"Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
