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UF, FSU, UCF, USF Updates from the State University System of Florida Tour

ByCheree Liebowitz
FIU

FIU

On August 28 and 29th, the college advisors at International College Counselors attended the 2018 State University System (SUS) of Florida Admissions Tour. At this invitation-only event, our team met with officials from all 12 of the Florida public colleges: UF, FSU, UCF, USF, New College, UNF, FAMU, FAU, FGCU, FIU, UWF, and Florida Poly, in addition to representatives from the companies that administer the ACT and the SAT.

According to several admissions representatives, the 2018 class was the smartest class to date. Click here and here to see the complete matrix of the middle range of SAT, ACT, GPA, enrollment numbers, percentage accepted, etc. Part 1 of this blog includes some school-specific highlights about UF, FSU, UCF & USF.

 

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (UF)

Enrollment: 35,247 undergrads, 3,200 involved in UF Honors

2018 Freshmen Acceptance: 41,000 applications, admitted 15,000, 36.5% acceptance rate

Middle 50% Accepted Fall 2018: 4.2-4.6 GPA; 29-33 ACT; 1300-1450 SAT;

Overview: This year UF was ranked the #9 Public School according to US News and the #2 Best Value College according to Kiplinger. At UF’s 16 colleges and nearly 1,000 student organizations, students have many opportunities to learn and be engaged. This year, to be considered for UF’s Honors Program, students must submit two additional essays with their admissions application.  Students in UF’s Innovation Academy (IA) study on-campus during the spring and summer semesters. IA’s focus in on entrepreneurship, creativity, leadership and ethics, and all students minor in Innovation. Students must check off on their application that they are applying to IA and have to submit an additional required essay on the application. UF also offers a PaCE program where freshmen start their degree online and then transition to campus. UF encourages students to check out Gator for a Day, where students can sit in on classes (sorry parents, this is for students only!).

By the Numbers: 9,500 courses offered; 2,769 intramural teams and club sports; UF students have launched over 160 start-ups in the last 12 years.

Deadlines:Nov. 1: applications (Feb. 8 notification); Dec. 1: SSAR; Dec. 15: FAFSA

 

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU)

Enrollment: 35,340 undergrads

2018 Freshmen Acceptance: 51,098 applications, admitted 17,957, 35% acceptance rate

Middle 50% Accepted Fall 2018: 4.1-4.5 GPA; 28-32 ACT; 1290-1400 SAT

Overview: FSU boasts a 94% retention rate for freshmen and a four-year graduation rate of 68%, which is #1 in the state of Florida. Recognizing the importance of students being involved on campus, FSU has a new Engage initiative. Students are encouraged to get involved in one of the hundreds of activities, from volunteer work to student research. FSU also has put in additional resources in a new Student Resilience Project that assists students with mental and physical health problems. FSU requires students to take two sequential years of world language, like Spanish 1 and 2. The class cannot be a repeat of the same class, like Spanish 1 and Spanish 101. Students taking Dual Enrollment courses must receive a Dual Enrollment GPA of at least 2.0 in order to be considered for admission at FSU. Regardless of a student’s other grades, if a student does not get a C or better in a Dual Enrollment course, FSU will not accept the student.

By the Numbers: About 300 freshmen entered FSU with AA degrees; 42% of admitted students came through the Coalition Application; the CARE program had 3,700 applicants and 500 were admitted; 160 academic majors

Deadlines:  Nov. 1: applications and Honors College (Jan. 31 notification); Feb. 7: applications (March 28 notification). FSU continues to accept the majority of their freshman class from the first deadline.

 

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (UCF)

Enrollment: 56,974 undergrads

2018 Freshmen Acceptance: 38,035 applications, 43% acceptance rate

Middle 50% Accepted Fall 2018: 3.79-4.34 GPA; 26-30 ACT; 1280-1370 SAT

Overview: With more than 66,000 students, UCF is one of the largest universities in the U.S. This year UCF welcomed a new President, Dr. Dale Whittaker. They also launched two new colleges: the College of Health Professions and Sciences and the College of Community Innovation and Education. In partnership with Valencia College, next year, UCF will bring 7,700 students to live, learn and work in downtown Orlando at UCF Downtown. The Knights football team had an undefeated season last year with a 13-0 record and were named the American Athletic Conference Champions. Not only are the students talented athletes, but the school boasts a 94% graduation rate for their student-athletes. UCF’s Cyber Defense Team continues to dominate and was ranked #2 in the nation last year, #1 in the Southeast.

By the Numbers: 48% of UCF students graduate debt-free; 46% of students are minorities; 82 National Merit Scholars enrolled at UCF last year

Deadlines: UCF has rolling admissions and students who have applied will start receiving notification beginning September 1. Dec. 1: FAFSA deadline; Jan. 15: Honors College (March 1 notification). The school recommends that students submit housing requests as soon as they are admitted.

 

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF)

Enrollment: 30,984 undergrads

2018 Freshmen Acceptance: 26,778 applications, admitted 10,027, 37% acceptance rate

Middle 50% Accepted Fall 2018: 3.94-4.44 GPA; 24-29 ACT; 1240-1365 SAT

Overview: USF has three campuses, Tampa, St. Pete, Sarasota/Manatee. The school will be consolidating those campuses into one university by 2020. When applying to USF, students should put in order their campus of choice. USF has been rated one of the top 70 public research institutions in the country. At USF’s seven-year medical program, students’ first three years of college study will be completed at the Honors College and the fourth year will be completed through the Morsani College of Medicine. USF also offers a similar seven-year BS/PharmD program.

By the Numbers:Over 180 different majors and concentrations; More than 600 campus clubs and organizations; students hail from 50 states and 145 countries

Deadlines: Admissions: USF has rolling admissions, but students are encouraged to apply byNov. 1(Jan. 15 notification); Jan. 1: Financial aid; Jan. 15: Scholarships

 

Final notes:

  • Do not get Senioritis. Colleges like FSU rescinded over 50 admits because of students’ poor grades in their senior year.
  • Make sure to accurately input grades on the SSAR. Colleges rescinded acceptances for grades that were not accurately reported. Have your transcript on-hand when filling out your SSAR. If you need to make a change to the SSAR, resubmit the SSAR to the colleges.
  • If colleges offer three application platform offerings (such as the Common Application, the Coalition Application, and an institutional application), only apply through one application. Do not complete more than one application to the same school.
  • Of the 13 Florida public colleges, only UCF and UF do not super-score the ACT. All the Florida colleges super-score the SAT.
  • More and more students are entering the Florida public colleges with AA degrees. These students become juniors once they are on campus and must be prepared to declare their major at that time. Courses students select at that time must be courses toward their major.
  • Students should make sure their Social Security numbers are on their applications. Any student applying for federal financial aid from schools in the SUS system cannot receive the aid without the SS#.