Florida State University vs. University of Florida
Gainesville and Tallahassee sit about a two-and-a-half-hour drive apart, and that gap matters more than it looks. UF runs the show in Gainesville, the state's flagship and a sprawling research giant, and you'd plug into engineering, business, or the life sciences on a campus that spreads out under Century Tower. Picture huge lecture halls and a class that scores higher than the admit rate lets on. Nobody hunts you down in a crowd that size. FSU keeps things in the capital, where you can pull toward business, criminology, the social sciences, or the arts, past the old Westcott fountain and a Seminoles game-day roar. Both still demand the SAT or ACT under Florida Board of Governors policy, so don't skip the test. The cost flips on where you call home: FSU posts the gentler out-of-state sticker, while UF, backed by Bright Futures money, covers far more demonstrated need. If you're an out-of-state student chasing a Florida education on a tighter budget, point yourself at Tallahassee.
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Acceptance Rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early Action
Florida State offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.
Standardized Tests
Florida State requires standardized test scores for all applicants.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Class Rank
Where Florida State's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 53.2% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Florida State does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions Factors
How Florida State weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of Attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Florida State's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Out-of-state students pay $15,166 more — entirely in tuition. Room, board, and other costs are identical regardless of residency.
Financial Aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Major Distribution
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student Diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus Life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by Gender
Since some students did not report gender, totals may not fully reflect the student body.
Acceptance Rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early Action
Florida offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.
Standardized Tests
Florida requires standardized test scores for all applicants.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Class Rank
Where Florida's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 85% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Florida does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions Factors
How Florida weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of Attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Florida's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Out-of-state students pay $22,277 more — entirely in tuition. Room, board, and other costs are identical regardless of residency.
Financial Aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Major Distribution
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student Diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus Life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by Gender
Since some students did not report gender, totals may not fully reflect the student body.
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Florida State vs. Florida: frequently asked questions
Is it harder to get into UF or FSU?＋
Effectively a tie on the headline rate: UF admits about 24.2% of applicants to FSU's 23.8%. Where they diverge is the academic profile of who gets in. UF's enrolled first-years post a middle-50% SAT of 1330–1470 and ACT of 29–33, a notch above FSU's 1300–1410 and 29–32. Out-of-state odds run tighter at both than the overall rate implies, since each fills most of its class with Florida residents (only about 20% of UF's undergraduates and 14% of FSU's come from out of state).
Is UF or FSU cheaper for out-of-state students?＋
FSU carries the lower out-of-state sticker, about $21,683 in tuition and fees against $28,658 at UF, a gap of roughly $7,000 a year before aid. UF then meets far more demonstrated need, about 99% on average versus 75% at FSU, and 65% of UF first-years receive need-based aid against 38% at FSU. A high-need out-of-state applicant can watch UF's net cost close much of that sticker gap, while full-pay families come out ahead at FSU. In-state tuition runs nearly identical and very low at both, near $6,381 at UF and $6,517 at FSU.
Is UF or FSU better for engineering and computer science?＋
UF leans more toward engineering and CS than FSU does. Engineering accounts for about 12% of UF's bachelor's degrees and computer science another 5%, sitting on top of a deep life-sciences base. FSU groups engineering and computing together at roughly 9% of its degrees, with its weight landing instead in business, the health and life sciences, and the social sciences. A student set on engineering or computing at a flagship will find the deeper bench at UF, while FSU fits someone who wants those fields inside a more business- and social-sciences-led university.
What is FSU known for that UF isn't?＋
FSU concentrates more heavily in business, the social sciences, psychology, and the creative arts, and the country knows it best for criminology, communication, and the fine and performing arts. Business alone makes up about 25% of FSU's bachelor's degrees, its single largest field by a wide margin, compared with about 14% at UF, where the degree mix spreads more evenly across engineering, the life sciences, and the social sciences. With a smaller out-of-state share, FSU also draws a more Florida-centered campus.
Do UF and FSU require the SAT or ACT?＋
Yes, both require test scores; neither runs test-optional. Florida Board of Governors regulation requires first-year applicants to either school to submit an SAT, ACT, or CLT score. UF's enrolled middle-50% SAT lands at 1330–1470 (ACT 29–33), while FSU's sits at 1300–1410 (ACT 29–32). At both, the rigor of your high school course load carries the most weight among academic factors, so your transcript matters right alongside the scores.
Which is bigger, UF or FSU, and how do their graduation rates compare?＋
UF edges out FSU on size, about 36,573 undergraduates to FSU's 34,271, and both teach at a similar scale with student-faculty ratios of 16:1 at UF and 17:1 at FSU. UF graduates and retains students at a slightly higher clip: a 91% six-year graduation rate and 98% first-year retention, against 86% and 97% at FSU. Students who enroll at either tend to stay and finish.
Source: Florida State University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. In-State Cost and Out-of-State Cost are from the 2024-2025 edition. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Florida State. Banner photo by Ernie Stephens, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0).
Source: University of Florida Common Data Set 2024-2025. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Florida. Banner photo by Ebyabe, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).