None of those statements contradicts another. All are true at the same time, and that is exactly why it is worth understanding them before your child writes a single word on an application.
I am not here to tell you whether this university is right for your family. No one knows that except the three of you: your child, you, and what your household can pay. What I can do is help you read what the federal government reports about this school, without jargon or embellishment, so that when your child reaches that decision, you will already have done your part of the work.
Who Florida Memorial University is and where it stands
Florida Memorial University is in Miami Gardens, Florida, in Miami-Dade County, in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the core of the main city. If your child plans to live at home and commute every day, do not rely on what the map says: drive that route yourself on a weekday, at the exact time they would have class.
It is a private, nonprofit institution of four years or more. IPEDS records the master's degree as the highest level it reports offering, and classifies it as an institution that awards degrees primarily at the bachelor's level or higher. That is an institutional fact, not a guarantee that your child's specific major has an undergraduate-to-graduate path within the same school. If that matters, ask by program name.
Carnegie—the classification that organizes the country's universities by what they do—describes it as a bachelor's college with varied fields of study, four years in length, small in size, and highly residential: at the time of that count, at least half of undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. In the undergraduate admissions profile, Carnegie places it in its “more selective” group. That label does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants actually get in—that comes later—and it also does not mean this should be the only school on your child's list.
There is something else that deeply defines this university: in the federal file for 2023, it is marked as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), one of only 76 institutions with that designation among the 3,012 included in this census. That tells you where the school comes from and the mission it was founded with. It does not tell you whom it admits today or what your child's experience there will be like. Do not read it as a verdict on quality, for better or worse. Ask what exists in concrete terms: what student center there is, what scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April when you need a quick answer.
A small community, and very few Latinos within it
Florida Memorial University had 1,365 students enrolled in the official fall count: 1,299 undergraduates and 66 graduate students. It is, above all, an undergraduate school, medium-sized compared with its peers—neither among the large nor the small schools in its comparison group.
Now for the number that truly matters if your family is Latino: 4 out of every 100 undergraduate students reported themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census that report the figure, it falls in the lowest quarter. There are few, and there is no honest way to say it differently.
That does not take the school off the list, nor does it automatically put it on. The number describes who is enrolled, nothing more. If your child will be one of the few, the question to ask on the visit is specific: what Latino student group exists, whether there is a cultural center, whether anyone in the offices speaks Spanish with you. Speak with a current student before deciding. The number you just read is for the entire school; your child's experience in their specific program may look different.
Among men and women, undergraduate enrollment is nearly even—54 out of every 100 are women—and adults ages 25 to 64 are a minority, only 7 out of every 100. The report does not provide where new students came from for this school in this cycle. That information simply is not there, and it should not be invented.
How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are
The year at Florida Memorial University is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported accepting credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls “credit for life experience”—learning acquired through independent study, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses or certifications, including military training. It also enrolls high school students in college-credit courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the warning that really matters: the fact that the school reports these two paths does not mean it will recognize the specific credit your child brings. It does not say what AP scores it requires or how many credits it awards per exam. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for majors: Florida Memorial University awarded 134 bachelor's degrees in the most recently reported year, spread across 15 program families. The largest was business and administration, with 26 out of every 100 degrees—a visible share, but nowhere near a majority. Compared with 942 similar schools, it falls in the quarter awarding the fewest degrees per year. With counts this small, the total can shift considerably from one year to another: request the last three years for the exact program that interests your child, not just the snapshot from one year.
Regarding class size: the reported ratio is 16 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. Compared with schools of the same type, this places it in the highest quarter—that is, with more students per faculty member than most of its peers, although on the overall scale that figure is considered moderate. Both readings are true at the same time. And neither tells you the actual size of a first-year classroom: the file does not measure that.
The institution also reports structured paths such as study abroad, a complete program that can be taken at night or on weekends, and routes to teacher certification, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
Admissions: many get in, very few enroll
This is where Florida Memorial University's numbers require careful reading, because two truths coexist without contradicting each other.
First truth: it is relatively easy to get in. Of 12,750 first-time applicants in the 2023 cycle, 9,475 received an offer of admission. That is 74 out of every 100—an acceptance rate above that of half of its comparison schools. The institution does not have open admissions: it reviews the high school record, grade point average, personal essay, and letters of recommendation as required materials. Your child will have to write; that essay is not optional. And if they submit the specific course plan the university requests, that also enters the balance. The published application fee is $45.
Second truth, and this carries different weight: out of every 100 admitted students, only 5 ultimately enrolled. Put another way, out of every 20 young people who receive the acceptance letter, roughly one decides to come here. It is one of the lowest post-admission enrollment rates among its peers—nine out of ten similar schools have a higher percentage.
Do not read that as a stain on the school. The federal record does not say why each family made the choice it made; it only says that most, with the letter in hand, chose somewhere else. What others decided does not tell you what they will offer your child. What you need to do is wait for their own financial-aid letter—with the actual net price, not the sticker price—before drawing any conclusion about whether this school stays on or leaves the list.
One fact that may ease pressure: the school reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admissions decision, even if students send them. That does not say whether it uses them for scholarships or course placement; ask separately.
Regarding transfers: of the class that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor's degree, 13 out of every 100 left for another school without finishing here within the expected period—a relatively low percentage compared with its peers. On the other hand, in fall 2023, 65 students arrived from another institution. Those are two different counts, from different populations; they should not be added together or compared with one another.
The sticker price, and what each family actually pays
At Florida Memorial University, among 191 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $17,963. Among 43 students from the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,200; among 11 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $27,605. For dependent students, the band adds together their parents' income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lower-income band (191 students) and that for the higher-income band (11 students) is $9,642. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $18,366.
$17,963 was the average net price for lower-income families in the 2022-23 academic year. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps determine whether it is worth requesting the aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The figure that governs is the aid letter you receive. In the meantime, use the net-price calculator on the school's website.
Financial aid: most receive something, more than half borrow
Out of every 100 students seeking a degree here, 83 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. It is a broad share, although compared with similar schools, it falls in the quarter where scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the year's average was $12,840.
The federal Pell grant—the one aimed at low-income families—reached 66 out of every 100 students. Applying for this aid here is not unusual or limited to a few people: most students receive it.
Now for the other side of the coin. In the 2022-23 school year, 55 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Of those who borrowed, each received $6,398 on average that year. If your child borrowed something similar in each of the program's four years, the total—without counting interest—would be around $25,592. That number is decided before the first signature, not at the end of the road.
And an important clarification: that average covers only federal loans in the student's name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt someone has when graduating—to calculate that, the four years would need to be added together, and that number is not in this report.
Financing with some debt is common here. Do the full calculation before anyone signs anything. The institution also reports a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan, in case that helps organize the family budget.
Campus life, athletics, and available supports
Florida Memorial University has institution-controlled housing, with a reported maximum capacity of 900 students. Not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there—the school explicitly denies that—but that does not mean no program has that requirement. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest plan. Request in writing this year's rate, the deadline to apply for a room, and whether a space is guaranteed or you are placed on a waiting list.
There is ROTC opportunity in two branches: Army and Air Force; Navy is not marked. Being marked does not say whether the program is completed on this campus itself—ask by name before building a plan around it.
The university competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross country or track and field. That membership belongs to the school, not your child. If they are interested in playing, write directly to the coach for their sport and ask whether there is room on the team, what division they compete in, and whether that sport provides a scholarship.
Regarding distance education: the school does offer it at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the most recent fall count, zero out of every 100 undergraduate students were taking their entire course load online. All took at least one in-person class. The institution also reported that it does not offer a complete program that can be completed entirely through distance education. If your child needs total flexibility, confirm this in writing before assuming anything.
The library operates with hired staff, and its annual spending exceeds the $100,000 threshold recorded by the federal government. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. That is a baseline, not a guarantee that it has databases specific to your child's major—ask by program name.
Among general supports, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, a dedicated contact point for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans organization, and a web page for disability services.
The outcomes: how many stay and how many finish?
This is perhaps the hardest section to read calmly. And that is exactly why it must be read calmly.
Retention. Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022—436 full-time students seeking bachelor's degrees—57 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already graduated one year later. Compared with its peers, this school is among those that retain the fewest students from their entering cohort. The figure does not distinguish how many of those 57 remain enrolled and how many have already graduated, nor does it explain what happened to the rest. Not appearing as retained does not mean someone gave up: they may have transferred, paused, or taken another path the data do not capture.
Six-year graduation. Of 301 students who entered bachelor's programs in 2017, full time and with no prior college experience, 83 appeared as graduated here six years later. That is 28 out of every 100. At four years—the period most families budget for—the figure is only 9 out of every 100. Compared with similar schools, this one falls at the very bottom of the table: nine out of ten peers report a higher share of graduates.
It is worth viewing the full breakdown of those 301 students, because it tells a more complete story than a single percentage:
| Six-year outcome | Students |
|---|---|
| Completed a bachelor's degree here | 83 |
| Completed a short program (less than 4 years) here | 8 |
| Transferred without completing here | 39 |
| Remained enrolled without completing | 3 |
| “No longer enrolled” (federal category) | 168 |
That last row—168 people, more than half of the original cohort—is the one that carries the most weight. “No longer enrolled” does not provide the reason. It may include those who completed after the deadline, those who transferred elsewhere and did graduate there, or those who stopped studying altogether. The federal data simply do not allow those paths to be distinguished.
At eight years, looking at a different cohort that entered in 2015-16—419 undergraduate students, including full-time and part-time students—42 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this institution as of August 2023. Within that same group, among those who received a Pell grant, only 36 out of every 100 achieved it: 27 points fewer than those who did not receive Pell.
None of these figures tells you what will happen to your child specifically. They are outcomes for an entire cohort, measured at a fixed point in time. What they do give you is a specific question to take to the visit, the call with admissions, and the conversation with a counselor: what specifically exists so that a student does not remain in that “no longer enrolled” group? Is there an assigned counselor? Is there emergency aid? Does the internal scholarship renew every year, or must students qualify again? Ask them to answer in writing.
How this fits into your family's decision
Now you know, with real numbers and not a brochure, what kind of university Florida Memorial University is: a small school with its own historical mission, which admits most applicants but attracts few of those admitted; where almost everyone receives some scholarship but where more than half also end up taking out a loan; and where half of those who enter do not appear as graduated within the expected period, although a substantial part of that absence conceals paths the federal data cannot see.
None of this tells you whether it is the right school for your child. That depends on pieces only your family has: what they want to study, how far from home they are willing to live, how drawn they feel to an HBCU community, and how much your family can pay after the real aid letter arrives.
If your child is just building their list, this school deserves one more question before it goes on or comes off it: what specifically exists—counseling, Latino community, financial support—so that they do not end up among those who leave without explanation in the file? If it is already among their final options, the next step is not guessing from this article's averages, but waiting for their individual letter and doing the math with that exact number on the table.
The data are the starting point. What you decide with them—together with what your child wants, what they have built so far, and what the family can pay—is what truly builds the plan.
Source note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS and institutional reports filed with the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Florida Memorial University or any government agency; this piece organizes public data to help families understand it.