The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is home to 14 colleges, offering more than 240 undergraduate, graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs. USF is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. USF is designated by the Florida Board of Governors as one of three Preeminent State Research Universities.
Founded in 1956, USF is the fourth largest university in Florida by enrollment, with 49,766 students from over 145 countries, all 50 states, all five U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia as of the 2022–2023 academic year.
In 2022, the university reported an annual budget of $2.31 billion and an annual economic impact of over $6 billion. According to the National Science Foundation, USF spent $568 million on research and development in 2019, ranking it 43rd in the nation and 25th among public universities. USF’s $889 million endowment is the third-largest among Florida public universities and the largest of any American public university founded post-World War II.
In its 2018 ranking, the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed USF 1st in Florida, 7th in the United States, and 16th worldwide in the number of US patents granted. USF faculty, staff, students, and alumni collectively hold over 2,400 patents. USF is home to the National Academy of Inventors and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, both located in the USF Research Park in the southwest side of campus.
USF’s sports teams are known as the South Florida Bulls and primarily compete in the American Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. USF’s 19 varsity teams have won a combined 6 national championships and 159 conference championships. Athletes representing the Bulls have won an additional 21 individual and relay national championships and 206 individual and relay conference championships
RANKINGS
For 2022–2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked USF as tied for #97 overall on its list of Tier I National Universities and #42 among public universities. This made USF the fastest rising university in America, jumping 84 spots on the overall list and 58 spots on the public university list in 10 years. This ranking also put USF as #4 in Florida overall and #3 in Florida among public universities. Compared to institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), the group of the top 66 universities in North America, USF ranks higher than Iowa State University, the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri and is tied with the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Oregon. In other rankings released by U.S. News, USF was the only Florida university in the Top 10 Best Value Colleges, at #8 among public universities. USF also ranked #17 in the nation overall, #12 in the nation among public institutions, and #1 in Florida on the U.S. News ranking of top National Universities for Social Mobility. Niche ranked USF #29 for top public universities in America and #97 for best colleges in America 2023. According to Niche, USF was home to the #9 Criminal Justice Program, #17 Information Technology Program, and #24 Public Health Program in the United States.
COURSES
Degree Programs
Bachelor Of Arts
Tuition Fees
Local tuition is 6,410 USD and Domestic tuition is 17,324 USD