19 Best Colleges With Warm Weather, Sorted by the Kind of Warm

In an average year, every single day in Honolulu reaches 70°F. Palo Alto, home to Stanford, gets there on about 189 of them. That's roughly half.

So "warm" covers a lot of ground. A school can be warm because it's mild, because it's humid, because it's a desert or because it's tropical. And each one feels completely different by the second week of classes.

This list sorts 19 colleges by the kind of warm they get, using 30 years of federal weather records from the station nearest each campus. You'll see how many days reach 70°F, how many cross 90°F, how much rain falls and what each school costs after aid.

Four Kinds of Warm, Side by Side

Start here. Each row is one climate, with the range across the schools in it.

Every weather figure on this page comes from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, the official 30-year averages, taken at the station closest to each campus. Cost is the average net price from the Department of Education's College Scorecard, which is what families pay after grants and scholarships. For public universities that's the in-state figure, so if you're coming from another state, expect to pay more.

California Coast: Warm Most Days, Hot Almost Never

The California coast is dry and mild, and it almost never gets properly hot. Seven of the eight schools here see fewer than 20 days a year at 90°F.

One thing to know before you picture yourself on the sand. The ocean keeps the shore cool. Santa Monica Pier reaches 70°F on about 75 days a year, while Santa Monica's airport, a few miles inland, gets there on 196.

That's still more of the year outdoors than most students are used to, and it changes what a weekend looks like. Our list of fun activities for college students is a lot easier to work through when January is 68°F.

UCLA

UCLA has its own weather station on campus in Westwood, so these numbers are about as close to the real thing as it gets. About 226 days a year reach 70°F, and only around 10 hit 90°F.

It's known for its film school and its medical center. It's also one of the cheapest schools on this list after aid, at $12,548 a year.

University of Southern California

USC is the warmest school on the California list. The official downtown Los Angeles weather station sits on its campus, and it logs about 264 days at 70°F and 26 at 90°F, since it's farther from the ocean than the Westside schools.

Film, business at Marshall and engineering at Viterbi are the big draws. The average net price is $32,740 a year.

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount sits on a hill with an ocean view, right next door to LAX, whose station is the closest. Only about 5 days a year reach 90°F.

It's a Jesuit school best known for film. It's also pricey: $48,381 a year on average after aid.

Pepperdine University

Pepperdine's Malibu campus looks straight out at the Pacific. There's no official long-term station in Malibu itself, so the nearest is Santa Monica's airport: 196 days at 70°F and about 5 at 90°F.

It's a small Christian university known for business. It's also the most expensive school on this list, at $58,098 a year after aid.

UC San Diego

UC San Diego is in La Jolla, right on the coast, and it has some of the steadiest weather on the list. The nearest long-term station, at San Diego's airport, records about 192 days at 70°F and just 3 at 90°F.

Scripps oceanography, bioengineering and computer science are the headliners. At $12,470 a year after aid, it's the cheapest school in the California group.

San Diego State University

San Diego State sits inland, away from the water, and that's enough to warm things up. The closest station, at Montgomery Field, gets about 228 days at 70°F and 16 at 90°F.

Business and public health are its best-known programs. The average net price is $15,364 a year.

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara is built on the edge of the ocean, and the Santa Barbara airport station is right next door. It records 186 days at 70°F, 3 at 90°F, and about 5 nights a year below freezing.

Physics and materials science are its strengths. It averages $16,109 a year after aid.

Stanford University

Stanford makes nearly every warm-weather list, so it's worth being straight about it. It's mild, not warm. Palo Alto averages 58.5°F over the year, with January highs around 58°F and about 14 nights a year below freezing.

It still gets 189 days at 70°F and very little rain. So if you want sunshine and no snow, it works. If you want to swim in November, look farther south.

It's also far cheaper than its sticker price suggests: $13,807 a year on average after aid.

Florida, Texas and the Gulf: Hot, Humid and Wet

This is warm with water in it. Every school here reaches 70°F on at least 262 days a year, and summers pass 90°F again and again. Rain is part of the deal too: Miami gets about 67 inches a year, more than four times what downtown Los Angeles sees.

It's also hurricane country. The Atlantic season runs from June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. That lands right in the middle of the fall semester.

If the region is already on your list, our guide to the best colleges in the Southeast covers more schools there, beyond the weather.

University of Miami

The University of Miami in Coral Gables is the warmest mainland school here. Miami's airport station, a few miles north, reaches 70°F on about 355 days a year and doesn't record a single freezing night in a normal year.

The trade is 91 days at 90°F and about 141 days with rain. It's known for marine science and its medical school, and it averages $37,244 a year after aid.

Florida International University

Florida International gets the exact same weather, since it's in Miami too and shares the station. The difference is price.

At $9,288 a year after aid, it costs about a quarter of what UM does. Hospitality management and international programs are its best-known strengths.

University of Florida

Gainesville is inland in north Florida, and it shows in winter. January highs average about 67°F, and around 15 nights a year drop below freezing. Summers are as hot as Miami's, with 90 days at 90°F.

The University of Florida is also the cheapest school on this whole list, at $6,541 a year after aid. Engineering and the Warrington business school are its big names.

University of Texas at Austin

Austin is hotter and drier than the coast. It has the most 90°F days in this group, about 123, and roughly 29 days a year reach 100°F.

UT Austin's McCombs business school and its engineering programs are the headliners, at $19,857 a year after aid.

Rice University

Rice is in Houston, where about 101 days a year reach 90°F and around 56 inches of rain fall.

It's also one of the best deals on this list. Known for engineering, small classes and generous aid, it averages $13,370 a year after grants.

Tulane University

Tulane's New Orleans comes close to Miami on rain, around 63 inches a year, with 85 days at 90°F. Winters are cooler than Florida's, though, with January highs near 63°F.

Public health is its best-known field. It averages $39,949 a year after aid.

College of Charleston

College of Charleston is the coolest school in this group. January highs average about 60°F and around 22 nights a year freeze, so you'll want a real jacket for a few weeks. Summers still pass 90°F on about 64 days.

The campus sits in historic downtown Charleston, and marine biology is a strength. It averages $18,960 a year after aid.

The Desert Southwest: Easy Winters, Brutal Summers

The desert is the opposite trade. Winters are sunny and pleasant, and there's almost no rain: Las Vegas gets about 4 inches a year.

Then summer arrives. Phoenix averages 111 days a year at 100°F or more, and its average August high is still about 105°F when fall classes start.

Arizona State University

Arizona State's Tempe campus is next door to Phoenix's airport station, and it's the hottest place on this list: 173 days at 90°F and 111 at 100°F.

It's one of the largest universities in the country, known for engineering and sustainability research. It averages $14,967 a year after aid.

University of Arizona

The University of Arizona in Tucson runs a few degrees cooler than Phoenix, with about 68 days a year at 100°F and roughly 12 freezing nights in winter. It's a leader in astronomy and optical sciences.

The desert and the mountains around Tucson are a big part of life here. So if the outdoors matters as much as the temperature, our list of the best colleges for nature lovers is your next read. It averages $16,674 a year after aid.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

UNLV is in the driest city on this list, and it has the coolest winters in the desert group, with January highs near 59°F. Summers aren't any gentler, though: about 78 days a year reach 100°F.

Hospitality is its best-known program, and the city next door is the industry. It averages $10,359 a year after aid.

Hawaii: The Only Place That's Warm Every Day

In a normal year, Honolulu reaches 70°F on all 365 days. It's also the one place on this list that's never really hot or cold: January highs average about 81°F and July highs about 88°F.

University of Hawaii at Manoa

The University of Hawaii at Manoa sits in a valley just outside Waikiki. Marine biology, astronomy and Asian-Pacific studies are what it's known for, and all three make real use of the location.

One detail the averages hide. The temperatures come from Honolulu's airport, but the university keeps its own rain gauge on campus, and it collects about 34 inches a year, twice the airport's total. Farther up the valley, at Lyon Arboretum, it's about 151. So bring an umbrella.

Its average net price is $15,664 a year, but that's the in-state figure. If you're coming from the mainland, run the numbers for out-of-state tuition and the flights home before you fall for the view.

What Warm Weather Costs You

Every climate on this list has a price. None of them is a reason to skip warm places, but you should know which one you're signing up for.

• Heat at the start of the year. Fall semester starts in August, when desert highs are still near or above 100°F and the Gulf is at its muggiest.

• Hurricane season. It overlaps most of the fall term in Florida and along the Gulf.

• Rain. The humid schools get 36 to 67 inches a year. The California schools get 10 to 18.

• A cool beach. On the California coast the ocean keeps the shore cooler than places a few miles inland.

• Price. The private schools on the California coast are among the most expensive here, and out-of-state tuition at public universities isn't in these numbers.

• Distance. If your family's in the Northeast or the Midwest, trips home get longer and pricier, especially to Hawaii.

That's why it helps to pick the kind of warm you can live with, not just the word.

How to Choose Between Them

• Visit in the worst month, not the best one. See Tempe in late August, Miami in September and Stanford in January.

• Decide whether you hate cold or heat more. If it's cold, look at Florida or Hawaii. If it's heat, the California coast wins.

• Run each school's net price calculator. Every college has one, and it tells you what your own family would pay, not the average.

• Don't let weather beat fit. A great climate won't fix the wrong program.

And if all these 100°F days made you miss winter a little, our list of best colleges for skiing goes the other way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which college has the warmest weather year-round?

Of the schools here, the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Honolulu reaches 70°F on every day of a normal year. On the mainland, the University of Miami and Florida International come closest, at about 355 days.

Which warm-weather colleges don't get too hot?

The ones on the California coast. UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara average only about 3 days a year at 90°F, and Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine about 5.

Does it get cold at colleges in Arizona?

A little. Tucson has about 12 nights a year below freezing, but Phoenix averages less than one. January highs are still in the upper 60s in both cities.

Is Stanford a warm-weather school?

It's mild rather than warm. Palo Alto averages 58.5°F over the year, with January highs near 58°F and about 14 freezing nights. It's sunny and dry, but it isn't Southern California.

When is hurricane season for colleges in Florida?

The Atlantic season runs from June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, according to the National Hurricane Center. So it overlaps most of the fall semester.