Founded in 1956, the University of South Florida (USF) is a major public research university that is spread across three institutions, located in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. All three institutions are accredited by the Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Attracting around 48,000 students in total, it offers over 180 degree programmes from undergraduate to doctoral level.

It is the fourth largest public research university in the state of Florida. As well as being a Space Grant University, USF is ranked in the top tier of research universities by the Carnegie Foundation.

The main campus in Tampa is home to USF Health, which comprises the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy. Its acclaimed journalism and media studies program is also taught on the Tampa campus.

USF’s St. Petersburg campus, founded in 1965, spans 63 acres with 29 buildings. It features the College of Business, regarded for its strength within the fields of business and accounting. The Carnegie Foundation has also recognised the St. Petersburg institution as excelling in community engagement.

At Sarasota-Manatee, not far from the beautiful white sands of Siesta Key beach, there are four colleges offering over 40 academic programmes from undergraduate to graduate level. Its hospitality-training programme prepares students for key roles in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industries.

Collectively, the USF System has an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. It has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and its endowment is valued at roughly $418 million.

USF produces many Fulbright US scholarship students and claims to have the highest research and patent productivity in the region. It is also one of 15 universities to be selected as a Tillman Partnership University of the Pat Tillman Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to military veterans and their spouses. 

The USF library system holds over 2.5 million volumes and more than 90,000 serials. There are five libraries in total that are spread across the three campuses.