SmartAsset ranks Jacksonville University high in graduates’ starting salary, best value in Florida

Graduates from Jacksonville University earned the sixth highest starting wage of graduates from all Florida colleges in 2018, according to data published by the personal finance website SmartAsset.

Jacksonville University graduates earned an average of $50,200 in their first job in 2018. The average earnings for all Florida college graduates was $48,320.

SmartAsset also named Jacksonville University the sixth best-value college in the state. It is the only Jacksonville-area college and one of only two Northeast Florida institutions ranked in the Top 10. The University of Florida in Gainesville is the number 5 ranked college.

SmartAsset considers five factors to determine its rankings:

• Tuition
• Student living costs
• Scholarship and grant offerings
• Retention rate
• Starting salary

SmartAsset draws its data from a variety of sources, including the National Center for Educational Statistics, Payscale, The Institute for College Access & Success, College InSight and Peterson’s Undergraduate Financial Aid and Undergraduate Databases.

SmartAsset is a financial technology company that provides personal finance advice on the web. It offers free and personalized tools to empower individuals to make smart personal finance decisions around education, home buying, retirement, taxes and more.

This is the latest in a series of positive rankings from respected independent organizations that indicate Jacksonville University’s continuing commitment to the pursuit of excellence.

In September, U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges Rankings placed Jacksonville University 28^th among 136 schools in the Regional Universities South category and 38^th on the Best Value Schools list.