USF shines among top-ranked Tampa colleges
The University of South Florida is one of several Tampa Bay-area colleges that touts high rankings on a national scale.
Public college USF is favorably listed in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Rankings review, along with the private Tampa University and St. Leo University. U.S. News & World Report has data on more than 1,800 schools.
USF particularly stands out when it comes to providing opportunities for students from lower income households. U.S. News & World Report ranks USF No. 17 in the country for advancing social mobility, which means increasing the proportion of disadvantaged students who enroll and graduate with financial aid from Pell grants.
“The University of South Florida takes great pride in the fact that we continue to make higher education more accessible to all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status,” said Ralph Wilcox, executive vice president of USF.
Wilcox said the diverse college atmosphere, which offers 400 student organizations, is also notable for its positive research reputation.
Founded in 1956, USF campus feels more like an urban community, with 44,231 students on more than 1,500 acres. USF has several campuses, with sister schools in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. Average tuition for out-of-state students is $17,324, while in-state students pay an average of $6,410.
USF is an excellent example of a top-performing school, rising quickly as one of the best public colleges in the country, a feat President Steve Currall said he is proud to maintain.
“As USF continues to be recognized for the exceptionally talented students and faculty it attracts, both the university and our surrounding region, as well of the state of Florida, benefit,” Currall said.
USF has a college student-faculty ratio of 23:1, with 20 students or fewer in 41.4% of all classes. Outside the classroom, students frequent College of the Arts events, including exploring the Contemporary Art Museum, or hang out in the campus’s botanical gardens, made up of more than 3,000 plants, animals and natural inhabitants.
Here are tuition and enrollment numbers for other Greater Tampa Bay colleges and private universities:
Eckerd College
Average tuition: $47,704
Enrollment: 2,007
Florida College
Average tuition: $17,300
Enrollment: 508
Pasco-Hernando State College
Average tuition for out-of-state students: $12,032
Average tuition for in-state students: $3,155
Enrollment not provided
South University Tampa
No information provided
Saint Leo University
Average tuition: $23,750
Enrollment: 2,282
St. Petersburg College
Average tuition for out-of-state students: $8,513
Average tuition for in-state students: $2,682
Enrollment: 28,853
University of Tampa
Average tuition: $30,884
Enrollment: 8,697
Written by Angela Underwood
