University of Tampa tuition for 2025-26 is $33,348 a year, with mandatory fees of $2,312, for a combined $35,660.
Before going further, the clarification that saves the most money on this page. The University of Tampa is a private university. The University of South Florida is a public one. They are different institutions in the same city, and the difference in what they charge is roughly $29,000 a year.
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University of Tampa Tuition at a Glance
| * | 2025-26 |
| Tuition | $33,348 |
| Mandatory fees | $2,312 |
| Combined tuition and fees | $35,660 |
| Estimated cost of attendance, living on campus | About $60,000 |
| Estimated direct costs, living off campus | About $35,744 |
| Share of students receiving some financial aid | About 90% |
| Total enrollment | About 11,000 |
Flagged for review. The on-campus and off-campus figures in that table come from the same source but are constructed differently, and the off-campus number covers direct costs only. Verify both against ut.edu before relying on either.
UTampa Is Not USF, and the Gap Is About $29,000
This confusion is common enough to be worth a table. Both universities are in Tampa. Only one of them is part of Florida's public system.
| * | University of Tampa | Florida public universities |
| Type | Private | Public |
| Tuition and fees | $35,660 | About $6,360 average in-state |
| Residency discount | None. Florida residents pay the same as everyone else | Substantial |
| Bright Futures eligible | Not for the public-rate awards described in our state guide | Yes |
For a Florida resident, that last row is the expensive one. Bright Futures is built around Florida's public institutions. A Florida Academic Scholar attending a public university may have tuition covered in full. The same student at the University of Tampa is looking at $35,660 before aid.
That is not an argument against UTampa, which is a well-regarded private university with a 40% acceptance rate and a genuine national draw. It is an argument for knowing which university you are applying to, and for running the net price rather than the sticker price. The colleges in Florida guide sets out exactly what Bright Futures covers and excludes.
The 90% Aid Figure Matters Here
About 90% of University of Tampa students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants or loans.
That is the number that makes a private university's sticker price misleading, and it works in the opposite direction from a public university's. Penn State, for comparison, gives aid to about 40% of students at an average of $10,491, so its published price is close to its real price. A private university discounting 90% of its students is operating a very different model.
The practical instruction is the same one that applies at every private institution: the published $35,660 is a starting point, not a price. Use UTampa's net price calculator, apply, and compare the offer you actually receive against your public options. Students routinely dismiss private universities on sticker price and would have paid less there than at the public alternative.
What the aid figure does not tell you is the average award size, which UTampa does not publish alongside it. Without that, 90% is directional rather than decisive.
Where the Money Goes Beyond Tuition
Living on campus takes the estimated total to roughly $60,000, against $35,660 in tuition and fees. Housing and food are therefore most of the gap.
Tampa's rental market sits in the middle of Florida's range:
| City | Average rent | Studio | 3 bedroom | Per bedroom |
| Tallahassee | $1,787 | $993 | $1,916 | $639 |
| Orlando | $1,828 | $1,417 | $2,381 | $794 |
| Gainesville | $1,867 | $1,267 | $1,990 | $663 |
| Tampa | $2,031 | $1,467 | $2,655 | $885 |
| Miami | $2,773 | $2,265 | $3,741 | $1,247 |
| Boca Raton | $2,965 | $1,959 | $4,170 | $1,390 |
Tampa's average of $2,031 is fourth of six, and it fell about 1% over the past year, one of only two Florida cities in this table to soften.
A room in a three-bedroom share at $885 a month is $10,620 over a twelve-month lease. Set against the roughly $24,000 gap between UTampa's tuition-and-fees figure and its on-campus cost of attendance, moving off campus is one of the larger levers available, though the comparison only holds if you cost food honestly.
Browse student accommodation in Tampa. Note that our housing near the University of South Florida page serves USF, a different university on the other side of the city, so check the location against your campus before enquiring.
Flagged for review. Tampa rent is September 2026 market data across all housing, not student-specific rates.
Is the University of Tampa Worth It?
The honest answer depends almost entirely on your residency and your aid offer.
If you are a Florida resident with Bright Futures, the comparison is stark. A public university may cost you nothing in tuition. UTampa will cost you something even after aid, and possibly a great deal. It has to be worth the difference on programme fit, not on general reputation.
If you are out of state, the comparison narrows considerably. Florida's public universities charge non-residents rates like UCF's $24,076 and FAMU's $17,725, with no Bright Futures. Against $35,660 with 90% of students receiving aid, UTampa becomes a genuine candidate rather than an obvious extravagance.
If you are international, run the same arithmetic as an out-of-state student and add the visa and housing considerations in how student housing affects US F-1 visa status.
Cutting the Cost
- Get the net price before you decide anything. At a university discounting 90% of students, the sticker figure tells you very little.
- Compare the off-campus route properly. Roughly $24,000 separates tuition and fees from the on-campus total. A $885 room is $10,620 a year.
- Watch the lease term. Florida leases commonly run twelve months against a nine-month academic year. Read what subletting means before signing.
- Apply to a Florida public as well, even if UTampa is your preference. The offers are what let you negotiate and compare, and at $29,000 a year of difference the comparison is worth making.
Take our apartment tour checklist to viewings, and read college dorms versus off-campus housing before deciding. International students should read renting without a credit history in the USA and co-signing student leases in the USA early.
How UTampa Compares Across Florida
| University | Type | Tuition and fees | Acceptance rate | Guide |
| University of Tampa | Private | $35,660 | About 40% | |
| FAMU | Public | $5,785 in-state | 20.6% | FAMU acceptance rate |
| UCF | Public | $6,368 in-state | 33% | UCF acceptance rate |
| University of Florida | Public | About $6,360 in-state | 19% | UF acceptance rate |
| FAU | Public | About $6,360 in-state | 66.12% | FAU acceptance rate |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is University of Tampa tuition?
University of Tampa tuition is $33,348 for 2025-26, plus $2,312 in mandatory fees, for a combined $35,660 a year.
What is the total cost of attendance at the University of Tampa?
Approximately $60,000 a year living on campus. Off-campus direct costs are estimated at about $35,744, though the two figures are constructed differently.
Is the University of Tampa public or private?
Private. That is why there is no in-state discount and why Florida residents pay the same as everyone else.
What is the difference between the University of Tampa and USF?
They are separate universities in the same city. The University of Tampa is private and charges $35,660 in tuition and fees. The University of South Florida is part of Florida's public system, where in-state tuition averages around $6,360.
Does Bright Futures cover the University of Tampa?
Bright Futures is built around Florida's public institutions. A Florida resident should confirm current eligibility rules directly, but should not assume a public-rate award transfers to a private university.
How much financial aid does the University of Tampa give?
About 90% of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants or loans. The university does not publish an average award alongside that figure, so use its net price calculator.
How much is rent in Tampa?
Tampa averages $2,031 a month, with a three-bedroom at $2,655, which is about $885 per person. That is mid-range for Florida, cheaper than Miami and Boca Raton and dearer than Tallahassee and Gainesville.
Is the University of Tampa worth the cost?
It depends on residency and your aid offer. For a Florida resident with Bright Futures the gap against a public university is very large. For an out-of-state or international student, where Florida publics charge $17,725 to $24,076 with no Bright Futures, the comparison is much closer.
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The Bottom Line
University of Tampa tuition is $33,348 with $2,312 in fees, and roughly $60,000 all in if you live on campus. Those numbers only mean something once you know two other things: that UTampa is private and USF is public, and that about 90% of UTampa students receive aid.
For a Florida resident with Bright Futures, the sticker gap against a public university is close to $29,000 a year and the decision needs a real reason behind it. For an out-of-state student, run both net prices properly, because the answer is much less obvious than the published figures suggest.