Tampa, FL · public · 37,207 undergraduates
University of South Florida acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
USF admitted 40.7% of first-year applicants for fall 2025, and sets minimum SAT and ACT section scores for admission.
Net price per year at USF
$15,224
Target · admit rate 40.7%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class | 40.7% (1 in 2) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,160 to 1,340 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 77% |
| This site’s label | Target |
| Sticker price 2026-27, in-state | $27,248 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $15,224 |
| Share of the sticker price | 56% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: USF net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: University of South Florida Common Data Set 2025-2026, C1 (form fields of the PDF) · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 40.7%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,160 to 1,340
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $27,248
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $9,326
The University of South Florida admitted 29,196 of 71,722 first-year applicants for the class that entered in fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 40.7%, and 6,730 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. USF requires an SAT, ACT or CLT score, superscores across dates and sets minimum section scores; the middle 50% SAT of the enrolled class was 1,160 to 1,340. It also recalculates every applicant's GPA from core academic courses with extra weight for advanced classes. The 2026-27 on-campus budget is $27,248 for Florida residents and $40,134 for nonresidents. On federal aid, residents paid very little: the average net price in 2023-24 was $4,122 under $30,000, $9,326 between $48,001 and $75,000 and $18,497 above $110,000, housing and food included.
Minimum scores, and a GPA rebuilt from core courses
USF is one of the few universities on this site that publishes floors rather than ranges: an applicant needs at least 490 in SAT reading and writing and 480 in math, or ACT section scores of 19 in reading, 17 in English and 19 in math. Above those floors, the real competition sits much higher, and the fall 2025 enrolled middle 50% was 1,160 to 1,340. USF does not take the GPA printed on the transcript at face value. It recalculates it from core academic courses only, adding a full point for AP, IB, AICE and dual enrollment courses and half a point for honors, so the course load counts as much as the grades.
USF: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
50%
| Middle 50% | 1,160 to 1,340 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class, CDS 2025-2026, C9 (5,238 SAT submitters, 1,463 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Fall is the hard term
USF admits students for summer and for fall, and the two pools are not alike. Its admitted-student profile for 2026 shows fall admits with a middle 50% SAT of 1290 to 1420 and weighted GPAs of 4.13 to 4.58, while summer admits were at 1140 to 1230 and 3.71 to 4.29. A student whose record sits between the two can be offered a summer start, which leads to the same degree.
Deadlines that matter for scholarships
For fall 2027, Early Action closes on November 2, 2026, with decisions in December; regular decision closes on December 16, with decisions in February, and applications stay open until March 1. Automatic merit scholarship consideration needs a complete application by January 15, 2027.
USF: the out-of-state premium
Extra tuition for a non-FL student
$43,656
| In-state tuition and fees 2024-25 | $6,410 |
| Out-of-state tuition and fees 2024-25 | $17,324 |
| Gap per year | $10,914 |
Published tuition and fees, before any nonresident scholarship; future increases not included.
The price for residents and nonresidents
The 2026-27 budget is $27,248 for Floridians and $40,134 for nonresidents, most of it billed by USF. Florida residents with federal aid paid $5,444 on average between $30,001 and $48,000 and $15,224 between $75,001 and $110,000 in 2023-24. Families comparing Florida's public universities can put USF next to UCF, UF and Florida State in the comparison tool.
From University of South Florida’s own documents
- USF's admitted-student profile shows fall is its most competitive term: fall 2026 admits had mid-range SAT scores of 1290-1420 and GPAs of 4.13-4.58, against 1140-1230 and 3.71-4.29 for summer 2026 admits. source
- USF recalculates each applicant's high school GPA from core academic courses only, adding 1.0 quality point for AP, IB, AICE and dual enrollment courses and 0.5 for honors courses passed with a C or better. source
- For fall 2027 the Regular Decision deadline is December 16, 2026, and a complete application by January 15, 2027 is needed for automatic merit scholarship consideration. source
- USF sets minimum section scores for admission: SAT 490 Reading and Writing and 480 Math, or ACT 19 Reading, 17 English and 19 Math. source
- The 2026-27 on-campus budget is 27,248 for Florida residents and 40,134 for non-residents, of which 21,368 and 34,254 are billed by USF. source
Net price at University of South Florida by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $4,122 | 18% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $5,444 | 24% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $9,326 | 41% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $15,224 | 67% |
| $110,001 and up | $18,497 | 81% |
| All aided students | $9,812 | 43% |
Cost of attendance at University of South Florida, 2026-27
| Item | In-state | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $5,960 | $18,846 |
| Housing and food | $15,408 | $15,408 |
| Books and supplies | $728 | $728 |
| Personal | $2,976 | $2,976 |
| Travel | $2,176 | $2,176 |
| Total | $27,248 | $40,134 |
University of South Florida admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class | 71,722 | 29,196 | 6,730 | 40.7% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 43.2% |
SAT and ACT scores at University of South Florida
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class, CDS 2025-2026, C9 (5,238 SAT submitters, 1,463 ACT submitters)) | 1,160 | 1,250 | 1,340 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (5,238 SAT submitters, 1,463 ACT submitters))) | 25 | 27 | 29 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 580 + 550 | n/a | 660 + 660 |
Outcomes at University of South Florida
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 77% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 91% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $57,743 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $17,988 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 37,207 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 29% | 2023-24 |