THE STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
4-Year Colleges and Universities

Each state university sets its own admissions standards. Admission decisions are usually based on a variety of factors such as recalculated academic core grade point average, SAT/ACT scores, academic challenge of schedule, extra-curricular and community leadership and activities, personal statement (essay), siblings in attendance etc.. Colleges also consider the academic difficulty of a student's senior schedule.

In the last few years, the admissions process has become extremely competitive. No one is "guaranteed" admission! Budget cuts and enrollment caps have limited the number of students each college or university can admit. The Board of Governors has set minimum SAT and ACT scores in order for a student to be considered for admission. Those scores are: SAT: 440 Critical Reading, 440 Math, 440 in Writing. ACT scores:17 English, 18 Reading and 19 Math.

Remember, there are 11 State Universities! They all offer wonderful opportunities, and should all be considered. Applications to all of the State's universities will be available on line in July. Be realistic and apply as soon as you can!

Complete your college applications as soon as the applications are posted online! Most applications will be online beginning on July 1, 2008. Complete the applications even if you don't have or don't like your SAT/ACT scores! You can retest during your senior year and the higher scores will replace the lower ones.

It is best to call the Admissions department of the college/university and speak directly with an admissions counselor if you have a specific question that you can't find the answer to.

GOOD READING ABOUT STATE UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS AND BUDGET ISSUES:

Florida universities could turn away 60,000 students by 2012...

Universities' admissions may be cut overbudget

Want to know where you fit in? Check out the 2008 STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM MATRIX  to view all 11 State University System institutions, their deadlines, requirements and more....

  FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

FAU opened its doors as the first public university in southeast Florida and the first in America designed for upper division students only. Since day one, FAU has pushed the bounds of higher education. Less than 50 years later, the University serves more than 26,000 freshmen, transfers and graduate students on seven campuses and sites.
 

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FIU was founded in 1965 and opened for classes in 1972 with 5,667 students - the largest opening day enrollment in U.S. collegiate history. Today it has more than 38,000 students, almost 1,000 full-time faculty and more than 124,000 alumni. FIU is one of the 25 largest universities in the nation, based on enrollment. The University offers more than 200 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in 21 colleges and schools.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Florida State's more than 41,000 students have the opportunity to work and study amidst a diverse and outstanding faculty that includes a Nobel Laureate, three active members of the National Academy of Sciences, two active members of the National Academy of Engineering, two active members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, two Pulitzer Prize winners, 11 active Guggenheim Fellowship recipients, and over 30 Fulbright Scholars. FSU faculty members lead several scholarly fields in citations to published work and hold multiple honors in the arts, including the Academy Award, Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy Award, and the Capezio and BESSIE Dance Awards.

Florida State's 16 schools and colleges offer more than 300 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, professional and specialist degree programs, including medicine and law, covering a vast array of disciplines critical to society today. The College of Medicine graduated its first class in 2005.

 

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA
University of North Florida offers 49 undergraduate degree programs. The university is divided into 5 colleges- the College of Arts and Sciences, Coggin College of Business, College of Computing Sciences and Engineering, College of Education and Human Services, and College of Health. In addition, the Pre-Med and Pre-Law programs at UNF offer students the opportunity to complete their undergraduate education while actively preparing for the rigors of medical or law schools. Average class size is 34 students and the student to faculty ratio is 30 to 1. The student-centered philosophy espoused by the University means that classes are not taught by graduate assistants, but by professionals as dedicated to teaching students as they are to their own research and scholarship. The Academic Potential Program (APP) at UNF is a probationary program that has been designated to provide students who do not meet the University’s minimum requirements for fall admission an opportunity to excel in courses during the summer.

University of West Florida 

University of West Florida is one of the smallest of the 11 Florida universities and has approximately 9,882 students. UWF campus is a 1,600-acre nature preserve and is located in Pensacola. UWF is in the Central Time Zone. The University of West Florida offers the John C. Pace, Jr. Scholars Award, which is worth $1600 and may be used in addition to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. UWF offers wonderful opportunities for students to do research in human-centered computing, land and underwater archeology, and business research and economic data for Florida. UWF has the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, and College of Professional Studies. Some of the notable programs at UWF are marine science, pre-dental, criminal justice, business, nursing and computer science.

FLORIDA A & M UNIVERSITY

FAMU was founded in 1887 and is a comprehensive, coeducational, residential, multi-level grant university offering a broad range of instruction, research, and service programs. FAMU focuses on the educational needs of African-Americans and other ethnic minorities but also seeks students from all racial, ethnic and religious groups. Some notable programs are architecture, pharmacy, nursing, journalism and graphics communications. Scholarship opportunities are abundant and are based upon SAT scores. FAMU has a joint engineering department with FSU.

This small, selective, public, liberal arts honors college is located in Sarasota and is very competitive to get into. Average class size is 18 students and the student-faculty ratio is 11/1. The New College academic contract enables each student to develop an individual academic program of coursework, tutorials, field and lab research, and study abroad opportunities. All students complete a senior thesis. There are no grades because students receive narrative evaluations. This school is recommended for bright, highly motivated students.

 

  Florida Gulf Coast University is located in Ft. Myers and opened in 1997. FGCU integrates technology into all classrooms and labs and offers distance-learning options. FGCU has 5 colleges- College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, College of Health Professions and College of Professional Studies. FGCU has great dorms, is a growing university and has a strong commitment to community service.

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
UCF is located in Orlando and has an enrollment of 48,000 students of which 41,000 are undergraduates. UCF has the following colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Computer Science, Health and Public Affairs, Burnett Honors, and the Rosen School of Hospitality Management. The most popular majors are physical therapy, engineering and business. UCF is in the NCAA Division 1 and has 300 organizations to get involved in. UCF is the fastest growing state university and is constantly getting more competitive to get into. UCF’s Lead Scholar Program is a 2-year program, which gets the students involved in leadership, scholarship and service. USF College of Medicine has an agreement with UCF Burnett Honors College.

 

  University of Florida is one of the most competitive State Universities. Students can apply online between 7/1/2008 and 11/1/2008. All students must apply before this deadline and will receive admission decisions in the Spring. Students will be offered admission in the Summer, Fall or Spring. The top 5% of the graduating high school class is more likely to be admitted to UF. Admission to UF's Honors Program is by invitation for accepted students with a 4.0 GPA, SAT 1400, or ACT 33.

 

USF’s main campus is in Tampa but has other campuses in Lakeland, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. USF is a Research I University, which allows many research opportunities for their undergraduate students. The Carnegie Foundation ranks USF for its research in the top national classification. Students come to USF from every state in the nation and more than 100 countries. One quarter of the student population is African American, Hispanic, Asian American or Native Americans. USF broke ground in September 2003 for a new College of Nursing building. CLICK HERE TO SEE INITIAL ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR FRESHMAN ADMISSION.