Admission for Freshmen

• Application Deadlines
• Freshman Admission Minimums
• Credit By Examination
• Dual Enrollment Credit
• Home Schools and Non-Accredited Schools
• Early Admission
• Tuition Deposit After Admission
• Accelerated Graduation
• Additional Information

Few students are admitted purely on academic merit. While the potential for academic success is a primary consideration, UF's comprehensive holistic application review also considers personal essays, academic awards, extracurricular activities, family background and home community. All information in the applicant's file, academic and non-academic, is considered in relation to the size and strength of the applicant pool for that year's class.

Beginning Freshmen: Current high school students seeking college freshman placement and students who have earned fewer than 12 semester credits following graduation from high school.

Applicants who received their high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree at the same time should complete the freshman application, which will be evaluated for both freshman and junior-level admission standards.

How to Apply: Freshman applicants must apply online.

When to Apply: Admission priority is provided to qualified applicants whose applications and supporting documents are received by the Office of Admissions during the preferred application period from August 1 through November 1. Applications received outside this period will be considered on a space-available basis only.

Incoming Freshman Deadlines

• The freshman application period is August 1 through November 1, regardless of entering term.
• Freshman decisions will be available in mid-February for students who applied by November 1.

Freshman Selection: The selection process is based on the applicant’s academic credentials and a holistic review of the application. It is very difficult to predict the admissibility of any applicant without considering all information contained in the application and the size and strength of the applicant pool. All factors must be considered in the admission review.

The Office of Admission considers an applicant’s total high school record, including grades, test scores, educational objective and pattern of courses completed, and personal background and experiences. Admission becomes selective when the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of freshman spaces available.

Minimum Requirements for Freshman Admission Consideration

Middle 50% of the 2014 Freshman Class

• High school GPA of 4.1-4.5
• SAT scores of 1810-2060
• ACT scores of 27-31

Minimum freshman admission requirements include:

• Graduation from a regionally accredited secondary school or the equivalent (G.E.D., etc.).
• 18 academic units, 16 distributed as follows:

• A cumulative C average in the academic core, as computed by the university, at all institutions attended, high school and college.
• A record of good conduct. Major or continuing difficulty with school or other officials may render an applicant ineligible regardless of academic qualifications.
• At least the minimum scores in all three sections of the SAT Reasoning Test:
  • SAT Critical Reading = 460
  • SAT Mathematics = 460 
  • SAT Writing =440 

Home Schools and Non-Accredited Schools

The University of Florida welcomes applications from all prospective students. Every freshman applicant is required to submit scores from the SAT along with an official transcript of courses attempted, a measure of performance (traditionally course grades) and a validation of mastery or learning outcomes (usually expressed as credit earned).

Students pursuing secondary preparation through a non-accredited school or in a non-traditional manner where courses, grades and credits are not specified or monitored by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the University of Florida are asked to provide evidence of mastery or learning outcomes through means other than, or in addition to, a transcript. Such means may include SAT subject tests, courses completed and graded through Florida Virtual School, or coursework from a regionally accredited public college or university.

Non-traditionally prepared students should be able to validate secondary learning outcomes in English, mathematics, science, social studies and a foreign language.

Validation in English is accomplished with SAT Writing. Students planning to use SAT subject tests should present results from the Math Level 2 test.

Applicants presenting scores from G.E.D. must also submit secondary records up to their point of leaving school along with results from the SAT Writing.

Credit by Examination

There are several credit-by-examination programs that earn credit toward a UF degree. The university participates in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE). Students may receive university credit for or exemption from such courses without credit, depending on the results.

Dual-Enrollment Credit

Courses from Florida public colleges and State University System schools generally adhere to the Statewide Course Numbering System. If the prefix (first three letters) and the last three digits of the course number are the same, then the course is considered equivalent.

Equivalent courses will generally fulfill the same requirements (e.g., general education) that the UF course fulfills. However, whether a course fulfills UF's writing requirement is determined by specific criteria, not course number equivalency.

Courses taken at private and out-of-state institutions need to be evaluated by the student’s college to determine if they will fulfill specific requirements.

Eligible dual-enrollment candidates from Florida high schools may be funded through dual-credit enrollment. Dual enrollment refers to a student taking on campus courses simultaneously at both the University of Florida and another institution. If the parent institution is a Florida high school, the student may qualify for tuition-exempt, dual-enrollment credit and may receive textbooks/materials on a lend-return basis. There must be an articulation agreement between the university and the home county school board, developmental research school or other secondary school.

Qualified high school students will be enrolled as non-degree students and credits earned before high school graduation may be accepted subsequently for advanced standing and degree credit when the student is admitted to the university.

Early Admission

A select number of applicants can be admitted to UF following completion of the junior year of high school. Applications should be submitted in accordance with university deadlines and will be reviewed individually.

Applicants must submit a written statement explaining reasons for requesting early admission; an official secondary school transcript covering grades 9, 10 and 11; a letter from the student’s high school principal or guidance counselor stating specific reasons why the applicant would profit more from early admission than by completion of the senior year of high school.

Tuition Deposit after Admission

• Freshmen are required to submit a $200 non-refundable tuition deposit no later than May 1 to secure their place in the class.
• The tuition deposit will not be reimbursed if the student does not enroll in the term offered for admission.
• The tuition deposit will be credited to the student’s account and applied toward the first-semester tuition. If there is a credit balance on the account at the end of drop/add, the balance will be refunded.
• This deposit is waived for those students who qualified for an SAT or ACT fee-application waiver. Students who qualify for Pell Grants may receive a tuition deposit reduction if they appeal.

Accelerated Graduation

The university provides numerous opportunities to accelerate college graduation. For additional information, please refer to information about combined degree programs.

Additional Admission Information

• All Applicants
• Freshman