University of South Florida

USF is the second largest university in the Southeast and one of the 20 largest universities in the country. It is one of the top 60 public research universities in the U.S. and is designated Research One by the State University System of Florida, ranking second in toal research dollars among the 10 SUS universities. It is listed by Yahoo as one of America's top 100 wired universities for the year 2000.

USF ranks among America's very largest institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1956, USF opened its doors in 1960 to nearly 2,000 students. Today, the University serves nearly 36,000 students, with nearly 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, specialty, and doctoral levels, including the M.D. These degrees are spread across ten colleges; campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Lakeland; and satellite programs in Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties and the USF Downtown Center.

USF's fast-growing reputation as a superior academic institution was formally acknowledged in 2000 by the Carnegie Foundation, which announced it will place USF among the nation's top research institutions in the Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive category. In 1999-2000, USF generated more than $171 million in contracts and grants. Faculty and student scholarship and research are supported by an outstanding library that contains more than 1.6 million titles and provides links to hundreds of computer data bases around the world.

USF's student body is as diverse as the academic programs offered by the university. Students from every state in the nation study alongside peers fro more than 100 foreign nations. African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native-American students make up 25 percent of the USF student body, while six of every 10 USF students are female. Collectively, our students are among the best and brightest at Florida universities. They are taught by some 2,000 highly-regarded faculty who are products of the worlds most prestigious colleges, universities and research institutes.

USF has had more than 175,000 graduates since its first commencement in 1963.