This article does that with University of Miami, in Coral Gables, Florida. It will not tell you whether it is the right school for your child. No one knows that yet, not even you. But it will give you solid ground to stand on while you decide.
What kind of school it is, in a few words
University of Miami is a private nonprofit, four-year university, and its highest reported level is the doctorate. The federal Carnegie classification system places it among the universities with the highest research activity in the country. It is a large, primarily residential school: in its most recent profile, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, and at least half attended full time.
It also appears in Carnegie as an institution that receives many transfer students, and its graduate profile identifies it as having research doctorates. That last fact comes from degrees awarded several years ago; it does not tell you which programs it offers today, so if your child is set on a specific doctorate, confirm it directly with the program.
Carnegie also describes it as a university with more selective admissions. It is worth saying this clearly: being more selective does not mean teaching better. It means admitting fewer people than apply. Those are different things, and it is wise not to confuse them when forming your opinion about the school.
If your child would arrive here after studying at another institution, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not. Carnegie places University of Miami in the highest incoming-transfer branch of its classification, but that label does not say how many credits people arrive with or how many they lose along the way. That must be asked case by case.
Where it is and what life is like there
University of Miami is in Coral Gables, within Miami-Dade County, in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is right in the center of the city. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the principal city.
If your child plans to live at home and drive every day, do not rely on what the map says. Drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time their classes would be. Actual traffic almost never matches the estimated time.
What University of Miami is not
It is worth saying directly: University of Miami does not have any of three specific federal designations. It is not a historically Black college or university, it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 do carry at least one of those three labels; this is not one of them.
That does not say which communities the school serves today, how many Latino students are on campus, or how your child will feel there. Those questions are answered with another tool: asking which cultural centers and student organizations currently exist, and speaking with someone already studying there.
How many there are and who they are
Among University of Miami undergraduates, 24 out of every 100 students reported themselves as Hispanic or Latino in fall 2023. They are not a majority, but neither are they rare: compared with 941 selective private four-year schools that report this information, University of Miami falls in the top quarter for Hispanic or Latino presence.
There are almost no older students in this undergraduate population: only 3 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. The split between men and women is nearly even, with 54 out of every 100 being women.
Here is a fact that matters if your family lives outside Florida: fewer than half of first-time students, 26 out of every 100, had permanent residence reported in the school’s state. The rest come from other states, other countries, or their residence was not clearly reported; the data do not separate those categories. What you can conclude is that most first-time students come from outside Florida. If your child would also come from somewhere else, that travel has a cost that the cost of attendance includes in the aggregate, without breaking out flights or moves. If it applies in your case, build your budget using real trips, not generic estimates.
The size of the school
University of Miami reported 19,593 enrolled students in the official fall count. It is a large school: the government places it in the range of 10,000 to 19,999 students, and compared with 941 similar selective private schools, it is among the largest. At most one out of every ten in that group has more students than it does.
But here is what matters: that total is divided into 12,883 undergraduate students and 6,710 graduate students. A substantial part of the school consists of people who have already completed a degree and returned for another credential. If your child is starting a bachelor’s degree, the number that matters is 12,883, not the total of nearly twenty thousand. The large number includes graduate students, and that can inflate one’s sense of the school’s size.
How the academic year works and what it offers
University of Miami’s calendar is organized by semesters: two long terms, about 15 weeks each. The school reports accepting credit for AP exams, but did not check the box for credit for life experience. It also enrolls high school students in college-credit courses through a formal dual-enrollment program, and reports accepting credit for military training.
Saying they accept AP does not mean they grant credit for every exam or every score. It does not say how many points they require, how many credits they award, or whether those credits will count toward the specific major your child is interested in. Request the transfer-credit evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for those savings until you have it in hand.
Academic offerings
Between July 2022 and June 2023, University of Miami awarded 2,704 bachelor’s degrees, spread across 25 distinct academic-program families. The family awarding the most degrees was business and administration, with 21 out of every 100 degrees that year, but no other family accounts for most of them: offerings are broadly distributed, and compared with 942 similar selective private schools, University of Miami falls in the quarter with the most academic families present in its bachelor’s-degree detail.
Watch for a technical detail that changes the meaning: 25 families appearing in the report are not 25 guaranteed majors, and a row may report zero degrees that year. Always verify the exact program your child is interested in, not only the general family it falls under.
Students per professor
The official ratio at University of Miami is 11 full-time-equivalent students for each full-time-equivalent instructional staff member. Compared with 941 similar schools, it falls below the middle of the table, without reaching the lowest quarter.
It is a low ratio, but by itself it does not prove that more staff are available for each student, and it also does not tell you the actual size of a classroom. The file does not reveal the exact method the institution used to calculate it or the size of first-year classes. If that matters to you, ask the program directly.
Academic paths the school reports offering
University of Miami reports offering study abroad, co-curricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only at night or on weekends, credit-bearing developmental education, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the ability to complete preparation there in certain teacher-specialization areas, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification.
This is a map of reported possibilities, not a promise of space or quality. If any of these paths interest your child, ask directly about the details of the current program.
How admission works: what it requires and what it costs to try
In its most recent report, University of Miami stated that it does not have open admission. There are components it reviews before saying yes. Of nine admissions considerations the government tracks, excluding standardized tests and legacy status, it marked five as required: the high school transcript, high school grade-point average, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and English-proficiency examination for those who apply.
Put simply: at this university, gathering paperwork is not enough. The essay is required, so your child has to write, and write well. They should start in the summer, not the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one sent.
It also considers, though they are not required, other components if you send them: class rank, whether the student completed the course plan the university requires, a formal sample of what the student can do, and work experience.
The published undergraduate application fee is $70.
How selective it really is
In cycle 2023, University of Miami received 48,286 first-time applications and offered admission to 8,940. That is 19 out of every 100. On the other side of that calculation are 39,346 applicants who did not receive an offer.
Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, University of Miami is among those that admit the fewest: nine out of every ten schools in that group, or more, admitted a higher percentage of their applicants. It is, in fact, very selective.
But a low admission number does not mean the school is better, just as a high number at another school would not make it worse. That percentage measures how many offers were made compared with how many people requested them. It measures nothing about your child’s worth. It is worth having your child’s college list include schools at different levels of selectivity, not only one type.
Those who say yes do not always enroll
Out of every 100 students University of Miami admitted for the first year in 2023, only 26 ultimately enrolled there. The other 74 had the letter in hand and did not use it. Compared with 942 similar schools, that percentage is among the most common: it falls in the middle of the table.
This does not measure quality or prestige, or whether people left happy. It only counts how many admitted first-time students actually enrolled. When the letter arrives, this number does not decide anything for your family. Put the admission letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before deposit day.
The SAT and ACT are optional, with an interesting detail
University of Miami reported that the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child sends them, they are considered; if they do not send them, the application remains valid all the same.
Even so, 32 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, one of the highest submission rates among 653 similar universities. Among those who submitted, the middle half scored between 660 and 720 in reading and writing, and between 670 and 750 in mathematics.
That range is for students who enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not for all applicants, and it does not prove that a score was decisive in anyone’s admission. 660 is not a minimum. 720 is not a guarantee of anything either.
If your child would arrive as a transfer student
In fall 2023, University of Miami reported 545 undergraduate students who entered there for the first time after studying at another institution. Compared with 942 similar schools, it is among those reporting the most transfer arrivals, although this number is not a proportion: a large school may count more transfer students simply because of its size.
What this report does not have is the departure rate: how many students in the bachelor’s-degree cohort transfer out. That figure is blank in the file. That does not prove that no one transfers; it only proves that the school did not report it that year.
How much it costs and how much it ultimately costs
At University of Miami, among 48 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $17,790. Among 139 students in the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,250; among 492 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $48,907. For dependent students, the band adds together their parents’ income and their own.
Between the average for the lower-income band (48 students) and that for the highest band (492 students), there is a difference of $31,117. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received some scholarship aid, the average was $41,028.
$17,790 was the average net price for lower-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps determine whether it is worth requesting the financial-aid letter.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly locating yours comes first. The income bands on this profile describe first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students 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, degree-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The one that matters is the aid letter you receive.
Financial aid and loans
At University of Miami, aid that does not need to be repaid—scholarships and grants—reached 70 out of every 100 degree-seeking students. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with 942 similar schools, this proportion falls in the quarter where scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the average for the year was $37,696.
The federal Pell Grant, reserved for low-income families, reached only 16 out of every 100 students. That means at least 54 out of every 100 received aid that was not Pell, but instead came from another source: institutional, state, or private.
An average scholarship of $37,696 is real money, but it is not a price. What determines how much your family will pay is the number left after all combined aid, and that number is not in any general average. You have to request it, school by school, with your name on it.
Loans
27 out of every 100 undergraduate students at University of Miami received a federal student loan in school year 2022-23. Of those who borrowed, each received an average of $5,991 that year. Compared with 942 similar schools, this proportion of students with loans is on the low side: seven out of every ten schools in the group, or more, had a higher proportion.
This average is for a single year and covers only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign, debt with banks, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has when graduating, because that would require adding all four years, and that number does not appear in this report.
Some students here go through the year without debt and some borrow. Which group your child falls into is not decided by this general percentage. It is decided by the financial-aid letter they receive in writing, and it is wise to wait for that letter before ruling out the school or committing to it.
University of Miami also reports a tuition payment plan in installments, as a way to manage the cost throughout the year.
Campus life, ROTC, sports, and support
University of Miami has institution-controlled housing, with reported capacity for 4,668 students on or off campus. It does not require all full-time, first-time students to live there as a universal rule, although that does not rule out a specific program requiring it. It also offers meal plans, including a large plan with a fixed number of meals per week.
The existence of housing does not guarantee a bed for your child. Request in writing the current rate, the deadline for applying for space, and whether a place is guaranteed or the student goes on a waiting list.
ROTC: the school reports ROTC opportunities in two branches, Army and Air Force. The Navy is not marked. Being marked does not mean the program is taught on this specific campus; IPEDS does not clarify where it operates, capacity, or scholarships. Ask about that directly before building a plan around ROTC.
Sports: University of Miami competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That affiliation belongs to the school, not a promise to your child. If your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach for that sport, ask whether there is room on the team, and whether that discipline offers an athletic scholarship.
Distance education: the school does offer distance courses and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes remotely. The other 99 took at least one in-person course. Confirm the specific level and major if this is relevant to your child.
Library: it operates with paid staff, annual spending above the $100,000 threshold the government tracks, a physical and digital collection, and interlibrary loan. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee the specific databases for your child’s major are available; that should be asked by program name.
Reported services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services at completion, child care on campus, Yellow Ribbon participation, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans organization, and a web page for disability services. Being reported does not say how they work in practice or how accessible they are. That is verified by speaking with the relevant office.
Who stays and who graduates
This is perhaps the number that reassures a family the most, with the warnings it deserves.
Of the cohort of first-time, full-time bachelor’s-degree students who entered in fall 2022, 92 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already completed a bachelor’s degree one year later. Compared with 930 similar schools, University of Miami is among those retaining the most students: nine out of every ten schools in the group, or more, retained an equal or lower proportion.
This number combines two different things—still enrolled and already graduated—without separating them, and does not reveal what happened to the remaining 8 percent.
Graduation
The class that began a bachelor’s degree in 2017 consisted of 2,182 full-time, first-time students. Six years later, 1,838 had a degree in hand: 84 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 73 out of every 100, eleven points lower.
Compared with 920 similar selective private schools, University of Miami is among those graduating the most students. Nine out of every ten in that group, or more, reported an equal or lower proportion.
A high percentage is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the class that entered in 2017. What is in your hands, and your child’s, is starting with credits in order from the first semester and knowing who their academic adviser is and when courses for their major are registered for.
At eight years, with a different cohort
IPEDS also followed a broader cohort: 3,148 undergraduate students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including first-time students and those who already had previous college experience. At the eight-year mark, 82 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 80 out of every 100, three points below the group without Pell. Compared with 935 similar schools, it falls in the top quarter.
A high percentage also does not predict the outcome for a specific person. It describes a cohort that entered almost ten years ago. It is more useful to ask about current program supports and outcomes for more recent classes than to cling to this number as destiny.
What comes next depends on three pieces, not just one
That is one piece. The other two are not in any government report: what your child wants to study and has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No university, however selective or generous it may seem on paper, replaces that conversation at home.
Your child must write the essay, submit the application, and decide which major they want to explore. You must complete the FAFSA, request the aid letter in writing, and not commit to any number until you have it in hand with your family’s name. Neither of you does the other’s work.
With this piece now in place, put it together with the other two. From that combination, and not from a single brilliant or alarming fact, comes a plan that will truly help you.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official reports from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, primarily from cycle 2023 and academic year 2023-24, with some figures from prior years where indicated. Best College Aid does not represent University of Miami or any United States government agency.