Side-by-side comparison
8 differences between High Point University and the University of Tampa
High Point University graduates out‑earn University of Tampa graduates.
Updated September 2026/North Carolina vs Florida/4 min read
Where each university ranks
The full breakdown
| Feature | High Point University | University of Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| An internship, guaranteed | Yes | No |
| Graduation in four years, guaranteed | Yes | No |
| A tuition-free term abroad | Yes | No, you pay tuition |
| A tuition-free master's degree | Yes | No, you pay tuition |
| Tuition-free certifications for your resume | 13 | None |
| Named leaders in residence from outside the university | More than 40 | None |
| Rank for what graduates earnData from U.S. News & World Report, 2027 Best Colleges | #1 in the South | #6 |
| Graduates who out-earn a high school diplomaData from U.S. News & World Report, 2027 Best Colleges | 93% | 84% |
Four things High Point University guarantees that Tampa does not
An internship, guaranteed
Finish the five-step career program and you will have an internship. Tampa makes no such promise.
Your degree, finished in 4 years
A published four-year plan, a Success Coach, and a checkpoint every year so you graduate on time.
A tuition-free summer abroad
Take a four-credit Maymester course overseas and HPU covers the tuition. At Tampa you pay tuition.
A tuition-free master's degree
Get a master's degree at HPU without paying tuition. Eleven programs qualify.
The people who run these companies teach at HPU
NetflixMarc Randolph, Co-Founder
AppleSteve Wozniak, Co-Founder
Dallas MavericksCynt Marshall, former CEO
ABC NewsByron Pitts, Nightline Co-Anchor
Domino'sRussell Weiner, CEO
Orlando MagicCharlie Freeman, President
Steve Wozniak built the first Apple computer, and he has been coming to High Point University since 2016. Marc Randolph co-founded Netflix. Cynt Marshall was CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Byron Pitts co-anchors ABC's Nightline. Russell Weiner runs Domino's.
More than forty leaders hold In Residence appointments at HPU. They are not one-night guest speakers. They come back, they work with students, and they know them by name.
More than forty names published at High Point University. Zero published at the University of Tampa.
Basketball
NCAA
Back‑to‑back Big South championships. Back‑to‑back NCAA Tournament bids. And in March, a tournament win over Wisconsin.
High Point University knocked out Wisconsin, 83 to 82, on a layup with fourteen seconds left. The men finished 31 and 5, more wins than any Big South team has ever posted in a season. The women went 27 and 6 and took the conference title too. When the Panthers made the tournament, the university flew more than 200 students to Portland to watch.
- 31-5Most wins in a season by any Big South program, ever
- 83-82Over Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament
- 7,202Record crowd, Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena
- $0What students pay to get into games
High Point University plays NCAA Division I. The University of Tampa plays Division II.
Visit High Point University.
Sources
- U.S. News & World Report, 2027 Best Colleges, Regional Universities (South).
- High Point University published program pages.
- University of Tampa published program and catalog pages.
- Big South Conference and NCAA Division I records, 2025-26 season.
Published by High Point University.