Florida State University

Florida State University is an internationally recognized teaching and research institution committed to preparing our graduates for the ever-expanding opportunities of a global society.

Designated as a Carnegie Research University (designating very high research activity), Florida State awards more than 3,000 graduate and professional degrees each year, and is recognized as a national leader in the number of doctorates awarded to African-American students and in the graduation rate of African-American undergraduates.

Our medical school, which graduated its first class in 2005, focuses on educating outstanding physicians for practice in community settings, while our law school is one of the fastest-rising in national rankings. The top five colleges by enrollment are: Arts and Sciences, Business, Social Sciences and Public Policy, Human Sciences, and Communication and Information. The top five majors by enrollment are: Biological Sciences, Psychology, Criminology, Nutrition, Food and Exercise Science, and English.

Florida State students have the opportunity to work alongside Nobel laureates and Pulitzer-Prize winners, Guggenheim Fellows, members of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and other globally recognized teachers and researchers.

Our student body is diverse and represents every county in Florida, all 50 states, and 130 countries. Minorities represent 33 percent, and women represent 55 percent of our 41,867 students.The middle 50% high school GPA for the summer/ Fall 2016 freshman class was 3.8-4.3; middle 50% SAT scores were 1160-1290; and middle 50% ACT composite scores were between 26 and 30.Florida State is a leader among the state's public universities, setting records in the award of national fellowships and scholarships. Since its inception in the spring of 2005, the Florida State University Office of National Fellowships has mentored and assisted some of our most talented students.

Over the past decade, our students have won more than 250 nationally competitive awards, including three prestigious Rhodes scholarships, four Truman scholarships, eight Goldwater scholarships, eighteen Hollings scholarships, four Pickering fellowships, and over 80 Fulbright student scholarships. Our students have travelled to over 50 countries, expanding FSU's influence around the globe.

Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts.The university is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, creative endeavors, and service. The university strives to instill the strength, skill, and character essential for lifelong learning, personal responsibility, and sustained achievement within a community that fosters free inquiry and embraces diversity.

Florida State offers leading undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Many units have programs that consistently rank among the nation’s top twenty-five public universities, including those in Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Meteorology, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Information, Creative Writing, Public Policy, Business and Law.

The university is home to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, funded by the National Science Foundation. The only national lab in Florida, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory holds the most world records for the most powerful magnets on earth. Other research centers, such as the Center for Advanced Power Systems, are supported by the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy. The NHMFL and CAPS, among other labs, place Florida State University at the cutting edge of research and its application to industry.

Analyzing the long-term effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Understanding how people make decisions. Exploring new filmmaking techniques. Pushing the boundaries of alternative energy. Producing new and inspiring creative works of art. These are just a small sampling of the different types of research and creative activities taking place at FSU on a daily basis.

Research and creative activity is about discovery. It’s about having an idea and finding the right environment in which to explore that idea. At FSU, we take great pride in our ability to provide supportive environments for the exploration of all types of ideas; and with approximately $200 million in research expenditures each year, and more than 50 prominent research centers and institutes calling our campuses home, FSU continues to be one of the top idea-incubators in the nation.

Florida State University now has the best four-year graduation rate of any public university in Florida, according to the latest data reported in the State University System’s 2018 Accountability Plan.The university’s four-year graduation rate is 68.4 percent, nearly three points higher than the previous year’s cohort, placing FSU first among all State University System of Florida institutions. More significantly, it’s the highest four-year graduation rate in the State University System’s history.“That’s a very big deal,” said Sally McRorie, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “That’s among the Top 15 public universities nationally.”

Florida State’s upward trajectory in student success hasn’t happened overnight. The four-year graduation rate has steadily risen in recent years as a result of careful and strategic investments in areas such as academic advising, tutoring and academic coaching.“We made the decision that student success was our primary goal and the key fulfillment of our mission,” McRorie said. “This success is a return on those investments, which have been major for a university that has the second-lowest state tuition in the country.”

Of the freshmen who entered the university in 2013, 68.4 percent graduated in four years. By comparison, only 49.3 percent of freshmen who started at FSU in 2005 graduated in four years.