Strategy 5 - Rationale

Shape the enrollment profile to reflect the educational goals of a major urban research institution.

USF currently serves approximately 30,000 undergraduate, 7,000 graduate, and 3000 non-degree seeking students resulting in an undergraduate to graduate student ratio of 77:23. Each year, approximately 4,500 new freshmen, 4,000 new transfers, and 2,000 new graduate students enroll at the university. Approximately 57% of USF’s student population attends full time. Approximately 42% of FTIC students graduate within six years and 56% of transfer students graduate within four years of entering the University, rates that compare favorably to many metropolitan peers. At the graduate level, the time-to-degree completion varies by program. Leading research universities typically have a larger proportion of traditional-age, full-time students; higher selectivity in student admissions; higher numbers of international students, higher retention and graduation rates; and an undergraduate to graduate ratio approximating 75:25. As USF continues to grow, enrollment management strategies will be implemented to recruit and retain a student body that more closely approximates that of a major urban research university.