Public · University

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida · Midsize city

#4 most selective in Florida
24.2%
Admit rate
$11,297
Avg net price
86%
Graduation rate
$61,675
Median earnings

Florida State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Tallahassee, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 32,212 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 32,212 undergradsMidsize cityVery selective · 24% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Florida State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
24.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
1270–1410
Avg GPA (est.)
3.84

Enter a test score to see where you land against Florida State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Florida State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. Around 1200, the large and complex Mississippian culture had built earthwork mounds near Lake Jackson which survive today; they are preserved in the Lake Jackson Archaeological State Park. Tallahassee is home to many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks, and performing arts centers, including the Railroad Square Art Park. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
24 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Tallahassee (TLH)

How Florida State University compares

Selectivity24.2%

More selective than 94% · #4 most selective of 49 in Florida

SAT average1361

Higher than 86%

Graduation rate86%

Higher than 93% · #6 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention96%

Higher than 94%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,675

Higher than 71% · #10 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$11,297

Cheaper than 87% · #11 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$18,000

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment32,212

Larger than 98%

Percentiles compare Florida State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

43,381students
  • Undergraduate32,21274%
  • Graduate11,16926%

Undergraduates by gender

32,212undergrads
  • Women18,82858%
  • Men13,38442%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black7.2%
  • Hispanic23%
  • Asian3.8%
  • Other or multiracial7.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
32,212
Graduate enrollment
11,169
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
23%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$43,729
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$115,569
Endowment
$1,029,931,070

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 5,889 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Florida83%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International1.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Florida State University draws overwhelmingly from Florida.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
24.2%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1270–1410
SAT average
1361
SAT reading
640–710
SAT math
630–700
ACT composite
29–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.84

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,656
Out-of-state tuition
$18,786
Room & board
$13,474
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$25,720
Average net price
$11,297

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
86%
Graduated on time (4 years)
74%
First-year retention
96%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,814
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$61,675
Median debt at graduation
$18,000
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
74%
Low-income (Pell)
71%
First-generation
71%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
6,709
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
21%
Housing charge (year)
$7,490
Meal plan (year)
$5,750
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
586 (319 men · 267 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)189
Football124
Swimming79
Baseball40
Basketball28
Soccer26
Golf22
Beach Volleyball22
Softball21
Tennis19
Volleyball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
50
Property offenses (2022–2024)
248

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (43,889 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

99reported offenses a year
17 violent a year83 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
66
Burglary
16
Rape
8.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
3.3
Robbery
1.3
Arson
0.7
Statutory rape
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$5,938
$30–48k
$6,963
$48–75k
$10,496
$75–110k
$14,991
$110k+
$19,239

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$44,115

$10,496/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

36%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,498
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,498. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 5,922 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$61,675
Typical debt at graduation
$18,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$58,317
Men
$67,439

Men out-earn women by $9,122 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
92°F
Winter low
40°F
Annual rain
58.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.97.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tallahassee, FL US station (3.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Florida State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Florida State University side by side →

Colleges near Florida State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.