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Old 03-14-2010, 08:18 AM
 
9 posts, read 60,833 times
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I was looking at the acceptance criteria for USF amd some of the other state schools and it seems like the minimum GPA's and SAT/ACT test scores are much higher than the schools up here in Ohio. Is it harder to accepted to colleges in Florida overal as compared to other states?
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Old 03-14-2010, 10:33 AM
 
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It is difficult as an out-of-state student. State universities typically are geared towards state residents in terms of admissions, though allotted seats are reserved for diversity (international/out-of-state students). The issue in Florida is that the number of out-of-state applicants is many times higher than what can be accepted. The best plan of action if you want to experience the life in Florida while attending school would be to go ahead and apply to USF (your favorite?), as well as other state schools which have lower numbers of out-of-state applicants, as well as a higher acceptance rate.

You might check out:

Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (excellent school!) 65% acceptance rate
http://www.fau.edu/admissions/freshmen.php

Florida Gulf Coast University (the newest state university) in Fort Myers 73% acceptance rate
About FGCU

University of West Florida in Pensacola 70% acceptance rate
UWF - Admissions - Fast Facts

Good luck!
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Old 03-14-2010, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Naperville, IL by necessity; Pinellas by choice
214 posts, read 675,496 times
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I was accepted at USF with no problem and offered $$$ but that was for a masters degree program a number of years ago. My ug gpa was 3.15 (yeah, I know... too many frat parties). Really can't remember my GRE scores. I assume you're applying undergrad. A former significant other, who frankly is sort of a ditz, transferred to USF from duhOSU her senior year(!) with no problem.
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Old 03-14-2010, 12:41 PM
TD*
 
1,695 posts, read 4,112,285 times
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Dont let these posters tell u wrong.. It is almost impossible to get accepted to any of floridas universities.

It is extremely competitive, and if your from out of state, it will be that much harder.

You don't know until you try, but its seriously difficult.
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Old 03-14-2010, 06:07 PM
 
Location: Beautiful Pinellas County
1,466 posts, read 3,061,013 times
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There are so many thousands of Fl students applying, many because they have florida prepaid and bright futures scholarships, so the big names UF FSU AND USF are heavily oversubscribed. Apply to both USF campuses - bayboro is often a better way in.once youa re accepted, you can probably transfer over. in fact that is a lovely campus anyway. dont be put off, but it's not a cakewalk and over 3.0 is probably the min you can be accepted on, unless you have a talent/athletic/other skill they want..
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Old 03-15-2010, 04:22 AM
 
Location: Tampa, Fl
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I had a friend (in state) who went to USF... Ended up leaving to go to UF, and he said (according to him) that UF is cheaper.
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Old 03-15-2010, 08:27 PM
 
5,500 posts, read 10,479,373 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TD* View Post
Dont let these posters tell u wrong.. It is almost impossible to get accepted to any of floridas universities.

It is extremely competitive, and if your from out of state, it will be that much harder.

You don't know until you try, but its seriously difficult.
Impossible? UF and FSU are the only tier 1 public schools in the state. After that you are down to a lot of tier 3 schools. It will be hard for someone out of state but it's far from impossible to get into most schools except UF and to some extent, FSU.
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Old 03-15-2010, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Tampa
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They need to accept a certian percentage of out of state students. You will actually find that it may be easier to get accepted not coming from florida.
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Old 03-15-2010, 08:41 PM
 
5,500 posts, read 10,479,373 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by craigm1841 View Post
They need to accept a certian percentage of out of state students. You will actually find that it may be easier to get accepted not coming from florida.
That is false for UF at least. Out of state students are competing with people from every state for a very small amount of spots. The demand for lesser known schools might be less from out of the state.
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Old 03-16-2010, 01:44 AM
 
17 posts, read 108,469 times
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There are many factors to consider.

Of course it will be easier for an in-state student to be accepted than an out-of-state student, as that is the purpose of state schools. But it is hardly impossible like someone above made it out to be.

With that said, I came from out of state with intentions of USF but did so with an Associates under my belt and a solid GPA. I probably would have been accepted as an out-of-state student without a hitch, but decided to gain residency first. Not only does that increase your acceptance chances but will significantly reduce you tuition bills.

All that it takes to gain residency is one year in Florida. Gaining residency wasn't too tough when I moved but the DMV is much stricter these days. All I needed to do was get a FL license dated one year prior to the beginning of the school year and one other proof of residency to be considered instate. Secondary proof can be a voter’s registration, proof of employment, utilities, etc. To be honest, there are ways to begin gaining residency without actually living here. You would just need to satisfy the FLDMV's requirements to get a license and voters card. DMV is tricky though, very strict. You would need your vehicle physically there with you at that time, proof of title, etc...not to mention a local address = friend/family in FL and a road trip is all it would take. Again, this is based on when I moved.

Beyond that, if you haven’t taken college level courses yet, do so and do well in them. That is a huge factor in their acceptance decisions. Do that, move to FL take some courses at a local community college and you should be fine. Keep in mind you can't gain residency if your enrolled in a FL institution as an out-of-state student without going through a lot of hassle.

BTW, knowledge you won't find readily online: If you have taken college courses at more than one institution, USF weighs all GPAs on a simple average rather than weighted average like common sense would have you believe. Meaning if you took 45 credits at school A and had an average GPA of 3.0 and took 3 credits at school B with a GPA of 2.0 your GPA in USF's eyes would be 2.5. As an instate transfer applicant, they won't talk to you if your avgGPA is under 2.8 and surely have a higher cut-off for out-of-state applicants. Can't say how they look at straight out of HS applicants.

Look in to USF’s St.Pete campus...it feels much more like FL should over there.
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