Not everyone who is interested in spiritual matters attends a small, church-based college.
Most private institutions cost more than state schools, and some students can't afford them. Others choose state schools because they prefer the diversity that comes with larger schools, channeling their enthusiasm for spiritual matters into fellowship groups.
At the University of Florida, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Campus Crusade for Christ are particularly popular organizations. At the University of North Florida, there are 15 religious student groups, including Muslim and Jewish and Christian fellowships.
Shari O'Brien, minister of Jacksonville Campus Ministry and board chair of Campus Ministries of UNF, sees an increasing interest in spiritual matters across denominational lines.
"I think the greatest increase is in general spirituality," she said. "There are fewer students that stay with a denomination and more that are interested in Jesus Christ and God himself. Unity is a very big theme right now."
A major reason Fletcher High School senior Lindsay Randall is going to UF next year is the unity of Christian friends she already has in Gainesville.
"There are so many groups to get involved in," she said. "And I'm going to plug into a church."
She also plans to room with Lindsay Swartz, a co-leader of Fletcher's chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. That's part of what she calls being accountable.
"I wanted someone who would stand strong, who would be an on-fire Christian and not a lukewarm Christian," said Randall who, like Swartz, is a member of Neptune Baptist Church. "We can't handle that. We're radicals. No sitting on the fence for us."