The University of Tampa is one block from downtown Tampa, Florida, but doesn't have a gritty, urban feel. It's a gorgeous campus with just under 10,000 undergraduates in a city with an average temperature of 82 degrees.

25% of the students are involved in Greek life, but all houses are off campus. Athletics are Division 2, with men's lacrosse the most popular spectator sport. The Hammock Club is the most popular club - this is the Sunshine State, after all!

Some interesting majors are Business Information Technology (a great option for students who love computers but don't want to do coding), Entrepreneurship, Management Information Systems, Public Health, Journalism, Museum Studies, and Writing. A little birdie told me they get precious few applications for the Writing program. They also have a number of BFA programs, including Musical Theater, Film and Media Arts, and Graphic Design. The nursing program is not direct admit and is very competitive but they have a 100% NCLEX pass rate year after year. Students start working with career services sophomore year and last year, 20,000 internships were offered to students at UT, twice the number of enrolled students.

Regarding admissions, it was interesting to hear that they value AP and IB classes far more than dual enrollment, something I seem to hear more and more. With an all-in price under $48K and merit scholarships up to $18K, University of Tampa is a great value school in my book. It checks a lot of boxes for students: that elusive urban, medium-sized university with a beautiful campus and warm weather - which has an admissions bar that's approachable for many, and a price lower than you might expect.