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While the dense collection of theme parks such as Disney World, year-round warm weather and proximity to the beach may be more than enough to entice you to spend your college years in the Orlando area, those seriously considering Orlando for their higher education will come to find that the actual universities in the area can live up to the fun and sun that permeates central Florida. At the very least, visiting the area colleges provide a great excuse to extend your stay into a full-blown vacation! From black colleges steeped with history to general universities and colleges focusing on the liberal arts, there are a variety of options, each offering its own unique path towards growth and development.

Those jumping into college right from high-school may find the University of Central Florida to be just the fit for them. Located directly in Orlando, UCF is the largest undergraduate school in Florida (offering 150 different programs); though it certainly doesn't ignore post-studies, ranking as the second largest school with graduate programs in the state. Originally founded to help properly train people to work at the Kennedy Space Center, the school still has ties to the Kennedy Space Center, offering a perfect fit for those wanting to work in aeronautics.

If you happen to follow the Christian faith and are looking for an educational setting that can appeal to both your educational and spiritual development, then Warner Southern College may be more your preference. WSC is a private Christian liberal arts college founded by the Church of God. Of note, the school is home to HEART (Hunger Education and Recourses Training), a facility that simulates the environment of a Third World country, offering students looking to go into missionary work an excellent base of training. The school also offers a number of programs geared towards working adults, taking some of the stress off non-traditional students looking to get back into school.

If you're more interested in expanding your mind in multiple directions than focusing in on one particular skill, Rollins College offers a respected liberal arts setting. Rollins College is located in the Winter Park suburb of Orlando, and is recognized as Orlando's oldest college. However, aside from its location in Winter Park, Rollins College has affiliates in areas including London, England; Sydney, Australia; and Madrid, Spain, making it the perfect choice for Orlando-bound students hoping to eventually study abroad.

African-American students looking to further their education while immersing themselves in the history of their culture and the Methodist beliefs will find few schools in the nation better suited than Bethune Cookman University. Originally, founded in 1904 as the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, the school went through numerous changes, even briefly becoming a high school, before it took on its current state. However, through the changes, the school has held tight to its Methodist beliefs, and today offers an educational setting that can be a number of different things to a variety of students.