The University of Florida Board of Trustees unanimously voted to move the Warrington College of Business Master of Business weekend part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) one-year and two-year program formats from Gainesville to the new UF graduate campus in Jacksonville at a virtual meeting on Tuesday.
Local and state leaders, along with university donors, provided UF with over $300 million to fund the development of a campus in Jacksonville, according to the board’s Feb. 23 meeting agenda. The city of Jacksonville also donated nearly 25 acres of real property in the LaVilla area downtown to UF for the campus, the agenda said.
A June 2025 UF release said the Jacksonville campus would “offer graduate-level academic programs aligned with the city’s [Jacksonville] workforce needs in fields such as business, health science, engineering, law and architecture.”
According to the UF Jacksonville website, the first set of programs are expected to be launched in existing facilities this fall, with new construction beginning by late 2027.
According to the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, the Warrington College of Business weekend part-time MBA one-year and two-year program formats “have historically been delivered in Gainesville under a market-rate model approved in March 2011.”
Board Chair Mori Hosseini approved of the relocation at the meeting.
“Jacksonville is a huge market for these types of students,” he said. “So, moving it to Jacksonville, where businesses are, I think it’s a great move.”
The board also unanimously approved a suggestion by UF administration to adjust the market rate tuition for the weekend part-time MBA programs offered in Jacksonville and the South Florida MBA program offered in Miami.
UF interim Provost Joe Glover said at Tuesday’s meeting that the programs haven’t had any tuition modifications since 2015.
Based on the suggested rates from administration, tuition for the one-year weekend part-time MBA program would go from $49,205 to $59,204, while the two-year weekend part-time MBA would jump from $59,808 to $71,807.
For the South Florida MBA program, the market rate tuition would increase from $66,807 to $79,807.
Tuition rates for all three of the MBA programs are the same for in-state and out-of-state students, according to backup documents provided in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.
Glover noted that the market rate adjustments for the three MBA programs “represent about a 20% increase in tuition.”
That increase, he said, is “well below the rate of inflation,” which he noted has amounted to roughly 35% over the past 10 years.
Glover also explained that the approved rates will still leave the tuition for UF’s MBA programs “substantially below” those of its peers.
While the board approved the weekend part-time MBA program relocation, as well as adjustments to the market tuition rates for all three MBA programs, they still need approval by the Florida Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors is scheduled to convene for a full meeting between 11:40 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Thursday at the University of West Florida in Pensacola.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.