College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of West Florida

FLMedium public institution · Overall rank #164 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places University of West Florida in the 89th percentile nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of West Florida is a public university in Pensacola, Florida, with a degree mix led by Health Professions and Business. Affordability is among the highest we track, and the largest program, Nursing, is also one of the best-paid.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The model attributes the gain to the factors it measures, while the unexplained remainder subtracts from the total.

Mobility is well above average and access is well above average. Pell students complete below the overall rate, and families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

University of West Florida at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
58.2%
Six-year completion[2]
58.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$67,723

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$8,077
Median student debt[4]
$16,624
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$12,269

University of West Florida rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

The University of West Florida is a public university in Pensacola, Florida, enrolling 9,330 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top fifth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (89th percentile).

The university admits 58.2% of applicants, a rate well below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 88.8% return for a second year and 58.8% finish within six years.

Both figures run above the peer medians of 73.7% and 49.1%, respectively. An estimated 54.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, meaning a majority of the student body did not begin here.

The six-year graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students, so it describes a minority of those who study at the university. The four sit far apart.

Affordability is the strongest, at the 95th percentile, while return is the weakest, at the 53rd percentile. Access and mobility fall in between, at the 83rd and 87th percentiles.

At University of West Florida, affordability is the clearest strength, placing in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places mobility in the 87th percentile and access in the 83rd percentile.

Return is the weakest pillar, at the 53rd percentile. The affordability, mobility, and access measures point in the same direction, while return sits closer to the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions.

33.1% of undergraduates at University of West Florida receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at this public university in Pensacola, Florida. Azimuth ranks University of West Florida #246 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at a rate of 45.6%, which is 13.2 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate for the entering cohort. Azimuth ranks the university #193 for mobility.

Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that coincides with the mobility pillar's position.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of West Florida rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#164

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 87
Access & reach
National percentile: 83
Affordability
National percentile: 95
Return on investment
National percentile: 53

Top-ranked majors

  1. Legal Support Services#14
  2. Social Sciences, General#32
  3. Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General#41

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of West Florida briefing

University of West Florida cost & financial aid[6][7]

The University of West Florida is a public university where affordability is the strongest pillar, at the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The published cost of attendance is $19,947.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $4,319 and required fees of $2,041 for the 2026-27 academic year. On-campus food and housing were listed at $12,702.

Out-of-state students faced tuition of $16,587. The average net price for aid recipients is $9,364, which is $4,704 below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $10,583. Azimuth ranks the university #72 for affordability.

At University of West Florida, the published cost of attendance is $19,947, with aid bringing prices down most for lower-income families. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $4,815 in the lowest family-income band, $6,462 in the next band, $8,077 in the middle band, $12,456 in the upper-middle band, and $16,620 in the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,805. Azimuth ranks the university #72 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 53% of the published cost, with $10,583 in average savings against the sticker price. For first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients, the is $9,364.

That figure is $4,704 below the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid savings and a lower average net price than comparable institutions point in the same direction.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $16,624, and 75.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $4,605 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $189 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $12,269.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$8,077

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of West Florida

The debt picture sits below its peer benchmark, even as federal borrowing reaches many undergraduates. Completers who borrowed federally had median federal student loan debt of $16,624.

Federal loans reached 75.9% of federal aid recipients. Comparable institutions (same type and size) had a peer median of $21,229, leaving the university below it by $4,605.

Parent PLUS, for a separate parent-borrower population, had a median of $12,269. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 34% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $17,559 per borrower.

The reported borrowers included graduates with federal loans: 33%, averaging $16,268. They also included graduates with private loans: 4%, averaging $17,382.

Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $67,723 at University of West Florida. That is $10,422 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure sits in the 72nd percentile. Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result sits in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Estimated earnings scenarios range from $43,849 in a downside case to $88,762 in an upside case.

The typical earnings scenario for the program mix at the university is $67,723. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $16,624 in federal loans, $4,605 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $189 a month.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $12,269. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $189 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$16,624
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$12,269

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$189/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$156/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of West Florida briefing

University of West Florida career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $67,723, at the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $10,422 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 53rd percentile. Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 64th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $5,030. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,572.

The graduate earnings picture sits above the comparable-school midpoint. At $67,723 four years after completion, median earnings place University of West Florida in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The measure covers federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, with 1,822 completers in the earnings cohort. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, leaving the university $10,422 above that figure.

Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students, showing earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. The typical scenario matches the median earnings figure and is based on the program mix rather than an observed group.

An estimated 28.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The peer comparison and the model estimate both point to earnings above their reference points.

Four years after completion, University of West Florida graduates have median earnings of $67,723, placing the university in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university sits above it by $10,422.

Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 64th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,030. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,572.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,352. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $43,849 in the downside scenario to $88,762 in the upside scenario.

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing is the largest program, with 384 degrees awarded in one academic year, and its completers had median earnings of $89,346 four years after completion.

Among other large programs, Psychology awarded 132 degrees and had median earnings of $45,101. The figures show a broad range among the university's larger programs, with the largest program at the higher end of those outcomes.

Program choice marks a wide range of modeled earnings at University of West Florida. The downside scenario is $43,849 and the upside scenario is $88,762; both are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups.

Published earnings cover 24 fields. Nursing reaches $89,346, and Computer and Information Sciences reaches $79,520 at the same point. Those field-level figures show why the modeled range is broad.

At University of West Florida, affordability starts with an average net price of $9,364, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. That figure is $4,704 below the $14,068 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

For aid recipients, average net price is $4,815 in the lowest income band, $6,462 in the next band, and $8,077 in the middle band. It is $12,456 in the next-highest band and $16,620 in the highest income band, showing that costs differ across family-income bands.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $16,624, $4,605 below the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $189 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students. Below-peer debt and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,030
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$2,572
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$2,458

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of West Florida briefing

University of West Florida acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of West Florida admitted 58.2% of applicants, meaning more than half of the reported applicant pool received an offer. That rate is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 11,145 first-year applicants, admitted 6,090, and enrolled 1,562.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
58.2%
25th percentile
970
Median
1060
75th percentile
1160

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of West Florida briefing

What are the largest majors at University of West Florida?[12]

Health Professions accounts for 24.4% of degrees awarded, led by Nursing at 384 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks Nursing #92 nationally in its field, with graduates earning $89,346 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one. Azimuth ranks Electrical Engineering #146 nationally in its field, with 46 degrees awarded and median earnings of $91,813 four years out.

Azimuth ranks Computer and Information Sciences #135 nationally, with 79 degrees awarded and earnings of $79,520. Psychology is the second-largest program, at 132 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #258 nationally in its field, with a more moderate median of $45,101.

University of West Florida has 21 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with 24 fields reporting earnings data. The strongest national ranks sit in smaller programs: Legal Support Services ranks #14 in its field, with 29 degrees awarded and median earnings of $45,338 four years after completion.

The largest program is Nursing, at 384 degrees awarded and median earnings of $89,346. Azimuth ranks it #92 nationally and #2 in Florida.

The highest earnings belong to Electrical Engineering, at $91,813, though it awards only 46 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #146 nationally and #8 in Florida.

University of West Florida concentrates its bachelor's degrees in the health professions: Health Professions accounts for 24.4% of degrees awarded, with Business next at 12.7% and Biological Sciences at 6.8%. The university has 21 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 24 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest programs are Nursing at 384 degrees awarded, Psychology at 132 degrees awarded, and Health Sciences at 122 degrees awarded. Legal Support Services is the highest-ranked program nationally, with 29 degrees awarded and median earnings of $45,338 four years after completion.

It ranks #2 in Florida within its field. Social Sciences ranks #32 nationally and #3 in Florida within its field, with 35 degrees awarded and earnings of $47,535.

The highest-earning program is Electrical Engineering, at $91,813, though it is a smaller program with 46 degrees awarded. Nursing, the largest program, is also the second-highest-earning, at $89,346, and ranks #2 in Florida within its field.

Computer and Information Sciences follows at $79,520 from 79 degrees awarded. The program mix is concentrated in health and business, and the strongest national ranks sit in smaller programs like Legal Support Services and Social Sciences.

The largest program, Nursing, combines scale with strong earnings and a high in-state rank. Across all fields, 18.2% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 384 degrees awarded
$89,346
Psychology, General 132 degrees awarded
$45,101
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 122 degrees awarded
$55,704
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 119 degrees awarded
$48,645
Biology, General 116 degrees awarded
$48,576
Communication and Media Studies 108 degrees awarded
$51,352

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of West Florida briefing

How does University of West Florida serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility picture pairs higher-than-expected graduate earnings with completion rates that differ between Pell recipients and the full cohort. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 58.8%; Pell recipients complete within six years at 45.6%, below the overall rate by 13.2 percentage points. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in Azimuth's 64th percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $2,458 more than the model expects for similar students. The completion gap sits alongside higher-than-expected earnings.

At University of West Florida, access reflects a sizable undergraduate enrollment and a transfer-heavy entry pattern. The public university enrolls 9,330 undergraduates, with an estimated 54.8% arriving as transfers or part-time students.

Pell Grants reach 33.1% of undergraduates, and the admission rate is 58.2%. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The Pell share, admission rate, and transfer estimate describe several routes into the university.

06 / University of West Florida briefing

What colleges are similar to University of West Florida?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of West Florida.

Admissions peerSouthern Adventist University65.5% admitted
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaSouthern Adventist University
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$58,282-$9,441 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$24,345+$14,981 vs University of West Florida · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%65.5%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of South Alabama71.0% admitted
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaUniversity of South Alabama
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$62,459-$5,264 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$17,648+$8,284 vs University of West Florida · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%71.0%
Explore University of South Alabama →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of South AlabamaNearby option · AL
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaUniversity of South Alabama
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$62,459-$5,264 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$17,648+$8,284 vs University of West Florida · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%71.0%
Explore University of South Alabama →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn$77,294 earnings
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$77,294+$9,571 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$9,492+$128 vs University of West Florida · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%55.6%
Explore University of Michigan-Dearborn →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Lehman College$3,148 average net price
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaCUNY Lehman College
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$63,353-$4,370 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$3,148-$6,216 vs University of West Florida · lower cost
Admission rate58.2%56.6%
Explore CUNY Lehman College →
Similar profileMorgan State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of West Florida
MeasureUniversity of West FloridaMorgan State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$67,723$62,308-$5,415 vs University of West Florida
Average annual net price$9,364$14,985+$5,621 vs University of West Florida · higher cost
Admission rate58.2%82.2%
Explore Morgan State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings