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Summary
University of Florida is a public institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 32,598, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 2,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Florida's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 54. Its in-state tuition and fees are $5,656 (2011-12); out-of-state tuition and fees are $27,933 (2011-12).
The University of Florida is about two miles away from downtown Gainesville, a college town bolstered by the school’s nearly 50,000 students. The Florida Gators sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference, and are supported by mascots Albert and Alberta the Alligators. The Gator football team, which competes in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium—commonly called the “The Swamp”—is particularly notorious. The team became the namesake of popular sports drink Gatorade in 1966, after freshmen Gators experimented with the novel beverage. The annual Gator Growl, held each Homecoming weekend, has been called the largest student-run pep rally in the world. About 15 percent of students are involved in the school’s 60-plus fraternities and sororities. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, though about 80 percent opt to do so. All students can partake in Gator Nights, held every Friday, which offer free late-night entertainment and a free “midnight breakfast.”
The school has well-regarded graduate programs through the engineering school, Hough Graduate School of Business, Levin College of Law, and the College of Medicine. The university is also integrated with retirement community Oak Hammock, where students can work, complete internships in health sciences, and find mentors. Famous graduates of the University of Florida include home repair television sensation Bob Vila, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, U.S. Senator Bob Graham, and former U.S. Senator Connie Mack.
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As part of each entry in a much-expanded directory of colleges and universities, U.S. News would like to feature a brief description of the school's mission and unique qualities. Please provide a thoughtful summary of what makes your school special. What are its special strengths and attributes? What is it not? Maximum number of allowable characters is 4000. Please do not include bullets, paragraph breaks, special characters, or other special formatting. The University of Florida, the state's oldest university, traces its beginnings to 1853. Today, it is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant research university with more than 50,000 students and 16 colleges. Since 1985, UF has been a member of the Association of American Universities, which includes the top 62 public and private institutions in North America. The university offers more than 250 graduate degree programs. UF faculty attracted $619 million in research funding, in 2010-2011. UF has a 2,000-acre campus and more than 900 buildings (including 170 with classrooms and laboratories). UF's extensive capital improvement program has resulted in facilities ideal for 21st-century academics and research, including the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy Building; the Cancer and Genetics Research Center; the new Biomedical Sciences Building; and William R. Hough Hall, which will house the Hough Graduate School of Business. UF is consistently ranked among the nation's top universities: No. 19 in U.S. News & World Report "Top Public Universities" (August 2011); No. 10 in The Center's "Top Public Research Universities" (2009); No. 2 in Kiplinger's "Best Values in Public Colleges" (2011). UF has 5,434 faculty members with distinguished records in teaching, research and service, including 45 Eminent Scholar chairs and 35 faculty elections to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, or the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Approximately 90 percent of incoming freshmen score above the national average on standardized exams. The fall 2011 incoming freshman class had an average 4.3 GPA and 1958 SAT score. UF admitted 1,274 International Baccalaureate students -- more than any other university in the U.S. -- in fall 2010. The freshman retention rate of 95 percent is among the highest in the country. The UF astronomy department is a global leader in the development of sophisticated devices that are mounted on some of the world's largest telescopes to detect new planets and other objects. UF is home to one of the world's largest butterfly and moth collections, with more than 9 million specimens. UF's McKnight Brain Institute is home to more than 300 faculty using some of the world's most powerful MRI imaging systems and other state-of-the-art tools to better understand the human brain and nervous system. UF's Clinical and Translational Science Institute is one of only 60 the National Institutes of Health is funding to speed the transformation of scientific discoveries into medical advances UF's Institute on Aging is home to one of only 10 Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers nationally and the leader of a $60 million study to determine whether physical UF's Emerging Pathogens Institute is a national model for using interdisciplinary research methods to identify, prevent and treat human, animal and plant pathogens. |
General Information
| School type | public, coed college |
| Year founded | 1853 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | suburban |
| 2011 Endowment | $1,347,084,000 |
Applying
When applying to University of Florida, it's important to note the application deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due December 31. The application fee at University of Florida is $30. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 43.2 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | most selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 43.2% |
| Application deadline | November 1 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | December 31 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at University of Florida is 21:1, and the school has 45.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at University of Florida include: Social Sciences; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Engineering; Health Professions and Related Programs; and Biological and Biomedical Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 95.5 percent.
Student Life
University of Florida has a total undergraduate enrollment of 32,598, with a gender distribution of 44.7 percent male students and 55.3 percent female students. At this school, 23.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 77.0 percent of students live off campus. University of Florida is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.
See what students are saying about life at University of Florida.
| Total enrollment | 49,589 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA I |
Campus Info & Services
University of Florida offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. University of Florida also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at University of Florida, 16 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at University of Florida.
| Students who have cars on campus | 16% |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | Yes |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At University of Florida, 59.8 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $6,151.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| In-state tuition and fees | $5,656 (2011-12) |
| Out-of-state tuition and fees | $27,933 (2011-12) |
| Room and board | $8,800 (2011-12) |
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* Overview details based on 2011 data
