Florida Virtual College Tours

www.fau.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Established in 1961
Ranked as a high research activity institution
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College is one of its colleges

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship.

www.fam u.edu ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Only public HBCU in the state of Florida
Founded in 1887
5th largest HBCU in the US

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, founded on October 3, 1887, as the State Normal College for Colored Students, began classes with 15 students and two instructors.For more than 100 years, Florida A&M University has served Floridians and the nation through its provision of preeminent educational programs, which were the building blocks of a legacy of academic excellence with caring.

www.fgcu.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
State of the Arts Mental Health Center
800 acres located on wetlands and pinewoods
The Water School is one of their colleges that explores water and environmental issues

Located just south of Fort Myers and north of Naples on the Southwest Florida coast, Florida Gulf Coast University encompasses 800 acres on which academic buildings, residence halls and athletics facilities share space with wetlands, pinewoods and boardwalks in a natural setting. FGCU serves 15,000 students and offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It emphasizes a university-wide commitment to sustainability and service learning, with students having completed close to 3 million hours of service since the university opened in 1997. With six colleges, FGCU is committed to serving Southwest Florida with academic programs designed to meet the workforce demands of the five-county region. New interdisciplinary programs include The Water School and the School of Entrepreneurship. A Student and Community Counseling Center opening in October 2019 is part of the university’s growing health-sciences programs and will offer low-cost mental and behavioral health services for the public.

www.fiu.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Miami's Public Research University
Top 100 university in the US
Hispanic Serving Institution

Florida International University is Miami’s public research university. With first class offerings in 1972, the institution has rapidly grown to become a top 100 public university, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. One of Florida’s emerging preeminent institutions, FIU is focused on learner success and research excellence. With annual research expenditures of nearly $200 million, FIU is recognized for its “highest research activity.”FIU is a leading producer of Hispanic bachelor’s and master’s degrees and it ranks second in the state on the CollegeNet Social Mobility Index; in their first job out of college, FIU graduates also earn among the highest pay in the state. FIU Law graduates routinely have the highest Bar passing rate in the state and nearly all graduates of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine are selected for residency programs. The Next Horizon campaign is focused on developing scholarship and research support for the university’s students and faculty. FIU’s has recently adopted a new strategic plan – NextHorizon2025 – which focuses on improving graduation and retention rates and intensified research innovation that leads to marketable products and solutions to local and global issues. The university is a member of Conference USA, with more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. FIU has 57,000 students and 238,000 alumni, 75 percent of whom live and work in South Florida.

www.floridapoly.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Focus is STEM
Newest Public University in the State of Florida
"Invent-It-Yourself" motto

Created in 2012, Florida Polytechnic University is the state’s newest university. With a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Poly is located in Lakeland and provides cutting-edge degree programs that prepare graduates to take on today’s fastest-growing fields.

www.fsu.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state of Florida.
World renowned School of Music and School of Law
Has it's own circus!

Long recognized as one of the nation’s elite research institutions, Florida State University has also achieved international renown for the quality of its programs in the sciences and humanities.

With a distinctive academic environment built on its unique heritage, the university is widely known for its welcoming campus, championship athletics and prime location in the heart of the state capital.
With more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, including law and medicine, the Florida State community includes 41,000 students, 16 colleges, and more than 6,000 faculty and staff.

“Florida State holds a special place in our hearts because it is unique,” said President John Thrasher. “Unique because it is well balanced with stunning achievements in both the arts and the sciences, offering the opportunities available at an elite research university but with the personal attention of a much smaller school, a fantastic location in the capital city, a service learning program that is the envy of the nation, championship athletics and so much more.”

Located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state, Florida State University also houses outstanding interdisciplinary institutes and centers, as well as the only national research laboratories in Florida. In addition, the university supports student entrepreneurship, celebrated programs in the fine and performing arts, and a service-learning mission that serves as a model for the nation.

www.ncf.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Public Liberal Arts Honors College for the State of Florida
Smallest State University School with only 800 students
10 to 1 student to faculty ratio.

Located in Sarasota, New College of Florida educates intellectually curious students for lives of great achievement. As the legislatively designated Honors College of Florida, New College offers 35 undergraduate majors and a master’s degree program in data science. The 110-acre campus on Sarasota Bay is home to more than 800 students and 80 full-time faculty engaged in interdisciplinary research and collaborative learning.

New College’s innovative educational model, 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and senior thesis requirement foster students’ intellectual exploration and personal accountability. The College’s rigorous curriculum prepares students for the demands of doctoral and professional degree programs. As a result, New College is the top public college in the nation for the percentage of its graduates who go on to earn PhDs.

www.ucf.edu ~ VIRTUAL TOUR
New College of Medicine
No. 1 supplier of graduates to the U.S. aerospace and defense industries for four consecutive years
Location lends itself to partnerships in the Hospitality sector.

Founded in 1963 with a commitment to expanding opportunity and demanding excellence, UCF develops the talent needed to advance the prosperity and welfare of our society. And with more than 16,000 degrees conferred each year — the most in Florida — UCF creates opportunities for more people to achieve their full potential.

UCF’s world-class research, innovative community partnerships and integration of technology and learning has led U.S. News and World Report to regularly rank UCF as one of the top 10 most innovative universities in the nation.

An emerging preeminent university, UCF offers more than 220 degrees programs at its main campus in Orlando, at locations across Central Florida and online. From its main campus located adjacent to Central Florida Research Park, the College of Medicine in Lake Nona and new campus in downtown Orlando, UCF strategically leverages innovation districts to enhance what students are learning in the classroom.
Researchers work side-by-side with students to explore the world’s most pressing issues. Our well-prepared students land jobs after graduation, as evidenced by Aviation Week ranking UCF the No. 1 supplier of graduates to the U.S. aerospace and defense industries for four consecutive years.

www.uf.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
300 degree programs
Originally an all Mens School founded in 1853
land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university

They call us “the Everything School” for a reason. A top-10 public university aiming for top 5, the University of Florida is among the nation’s most academically diverse institutions. With an enrollment of 54,000+ students, UF is home to 16 colleges offering nearly 300 degree programs. Only five other U.S. universities have as many areas of study on one campus. Along with the championship-winning Florida Gators athletic teams, UF is known for its membership in the Association of American Universities, one of only 17 land-grant universities in this elite group.

www.unf.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Located in Jacksonville
UNF was initially designated an upper-division college for juniors and seniors. It began admitting freshmen in 1984.
First Green Campus

Situated in Jacksonville between downtown and the beaches, UNF was established in 1969. The 1,000-acre University of North Florida opened for classes in 1972 with 2,027 students to nearly 17,000 students today. UNF offers colleges of distinction in Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health, and in Computing, Engineering, and Construction, and a selection of degree programs from 52 undergraduate degree programs with 132 areas of concentration, 25 graduate, and 3 doctoral degree programs.

www.usf.edu  ~  VIRTUAL TOUR
Three campuses in: Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee
Top 25 in research expenditures
Home of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame

Established in 1956, the University of South Florida is a Preeminent State Research University located in the heart of the vibrant and diverse Tampa Bay region. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, the university serves more than 50,000 students by offering over 200 undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral degrees.

From 2013 to 2019, USF rose faster in U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of best colleges than any other university in the country, public or private. USF is at the forefront of cutting-edge research in medicine, science, engineering and technology, and ranks in the top 25 nationally among public universities for total research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. In addition, USF has placed among the top 10 public universities for generating new U.S. patents every year since 2010. USF has an annual budget of approximately $2 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion.

www.uwf.edu ~ VIRTUAL TOUR

The University of West Florida began September 1967 as upper-level institution enrolling juniors, seniors, and graduate students. With an initial enrollment of 1,422 students and only a handful of buildings, UWF graduated its first 58 students in June 1968.

The move toward a traditional college structure started in 1979 with the establishment of three colleges, and the approval for a lower division was received, UWF admitted freshmen students in 1983.

Today, enrollment exceeds 12,000 and UWF’s campus is the second-largest main campus in the state university system. In addition to the main campus, UWF has locations in downtown Pensacola and in Fort Walton beach. Nationally recognized research centers include the Archaeology Institute, Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, the Haas Center and the Florida Small Business Development Center.