Admissions & selectivity
University of South Florida Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at USF?
USF’s reported acceptance rate is 43.2%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 43.2%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: University of South Florida Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
The University of South Florida admitted 43.2% of applicants, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 71,722 applicants, 29,196 admitted, and 6,730 enrolled first-year students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled USF students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that enrolled first-year students who submitted a GPA averaged 4.09 in high school; 99.9% of the class did so. It reflects an average among those who reported, not a threshold for admission.
The middle half of enrolled SAT submitters scored between 1160 and 1340, and 78% of the entering class submitted scores. Among ACT submitters, who made up 22% of the class, the middle half ranged from 25 to 29.
Applicants should treat the university's 1160 to 1340 SAT and 25 to 29 ACT ranges as context for recent enrolled students, not as minimums. Of the 72% of enrolled first-year students who reported a high-school class rank, 29% ranked in the highest tenth and 63% in the upper quarter of their graduating class.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at USF. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
78% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1160
- Median
- 1250
- 75th percentile
- 1340
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
22% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 25
- Median
- 27
- 75th percentile
- 29
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: University of South Florida Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at USF?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29.4%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 35.2%
- First-year retention
- 91.3%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
The University of South Florida admitted 43.2% of applicants, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 71,722 applicants, 29,196 admitted, and 6,730 enrolled first-year students.
Undergraduate enrollment stands at 37,207, with Pell Grant recipients making up 29.4% of undergraduates and an estimated 35.2% of students entering as transfers or part-time students. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 11,480 transfer applicants, 6,098 admitted, and 3,342 enrolled.
The composition suggests a campus that draws heavily from both first-time freshmen and transfer pathways. Pell-eligible applicants should prepare a complete application early, as the admission rate sits below the peer median.
The University of South Florida retains 91.3% of its first-year students, well above the peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions. Its six-year graduation rate is 76.8%, also exceeding the peer median of 65.0%.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 91% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class. For the first-time, full-time fall 2019 entering class, the six-year graduation rate was 78.0%, with Pell Grant recipients completing at 77.0%, below the overall rate.
Pell Grant recipients in the federal first-time full-time cohort complete at a rate of 67.7%, which is below the overall six-year rate by 9.1 percentage points. Enrolled students can expect a university where persistence and completion run ahead of peer norms.
The institution's own data shows Pell recipients completing below the rate for the entering class as a whole.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.