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    FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Florida State University is a public, fully accredited, coeducational institution, and one of 11 institutions of Florida's State University System, which is directed by the Florida Board of Governors. Located in Tallahassee, Florida's capital city, the university affords students and faculty opportunities for interaction with state and federal agencies for internships, research and part-time employment, as well as numerous social, cultural and recreational activities.

    BEGINNINGS
    Florida State was established as the Seminary West of the Suwannee by an act of the Florida Legislature in 1851. The institution first offered instruction at the postsecondary level in 1857 and is the longest continuous site of higher education in Florida. In 1905, the Buckman Act reorganized higher education in the state and designated the Tallahassee school as the Florida Female College. In 1909, it was renamed Florida State College for Women. In 1947, the school returned to coeducational status, and the name was changed to Florida State University.

    40,000 & COUNTING
    In 1946, there were 2,583 students enrolled. In 2012, enrollment stood at more than 41,000. Of that number, 76.4 percent were undergraduates, 20.4 percent were graduates and 3.2 percent were unclassified; 82.2 percent were in-state students; 93.3 percent were from the United States; students hailed from all 50 states and the District of Columbia; 17 states contributed more than 100 students each; 19 foreign countries contributed more than 30 students each; 54.9 percent were female and 45.1 percent were male; 27.9 percent were minorities and 4.4 percent were internationals.

    LAY OF THE LAND
    The university's main campus encompasses 445.7 acres in Tallahassee, Leon County; the Panama City Campus has 25.6 acres in Panama City, Bay County. The university owns a total of 1,588.1 acres in Leon, Bay, Collier, Franklin, Sarasota and Gadsden counties. In addition, sites are leased in Marion and Leon counties in Florida and other locations overseas.

    WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITY: With 17 colleges, students can take courses of study leading to a baccalaureate degree in 215 fields in 105 degree-programs, to a master's or advanced master's degree in 117 degree programs in 245 fields, to a specialist degree in 22 degree programs, to a doctoral degree in 76 degree programs, as well as to a professional degree in two degree programs. The colleges are: Applied Sciences; Arts and Sciences; Business; Communication and Information; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Education; Engineering; The Graduate School; Human Sciences; Law; Medicine; Motion Picture Arts; Music; Nursing; Social Sciences and Public Policy; Social Work; and Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance.

    OPERATING BUDGET (2012-2013): $1.1 billion

    DEGREES AWARDED (2012-2013): Bachelor's 7,886...Master's 2,218...Specialist 59...Doctorate 429...Juris Doctorate 276...Medical Doctorate 113...Total 10,981.

    FRESHMAN FACTS (Class of 2015): The middle 50 percent high school GPA, 3.5-4.1...SAT score 1130- 1280...ACT score 25-28...there were 16 National Merit Scholars, 4 National Achievement Scholars and 2 Hispanic Scholars enrolled as undergraduate students during the fall 2011 term.

    STELLAR FACULTY: A total faculty of 2,306 are appointed to either full-time or part-time positions on a faculty classification...Florida State's faculty has included six Nobel Laureates...12 faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences...11 faculty members have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences...two faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering...one faculty member has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine...and two faculty members are Pulitzer Prize winners.

    EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES: Florida State has the No. 1 ranked criminology and criminal justice program in the nation. It is located a mere four blocks from the state Capitol, which affords students from many academic disciplines opportunities for employment or internships with legislators and state agencies. It is home to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which has the world's most- powerful magnets.

    GOING WORLDWIDE: Florida State offers a variety of overseas opportunities for students during the regular academic year. It has year-round study centers in Florence, Italy; Panama City, Panama; The Republic of Panama; Valencia, Spain; and London, England. Courses at the study centers are offered each semester and cover a wide range of subject areas that are perfect for meeting general and liberal studies requirements. Summer programs are currently being offered in locations including Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Israel, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and Uruguay.

    A PLACE FOR EVERYONE: Florida State has more than 450 recognized student organizations that allow students to find their own niche.

    WORLD-RENOWNED RESEARCH: Florida State has built a reputation as a strong research center in both the sciences and the humanities. The faculty generates $199.8 million in external funds to be used for research. These external funds are in the form of contracts and grants from private foundations, industries and government agencies, and are used to support research, improve research facilities and provide stipends for graduate students.

    SOME SERIOUS READING: Florida State's Library System contains nearly than 3 million volumes, of which 1,156,915 are available electronically as e-books. FSU Libraries subscribe to 72,825 electronic journals and 771 databases.

    MILESTONES
    In 2012, Florida State celebrated 50 years of integration with three days of commemorative events in April to honor the pioneering African-American students who were admitted in the 1960s. Also in April, the university's Flying High Circus marked its 65th anniversary. It is one of two collegiate circuses in the United States.

    WHY FLORIDA STATE
    One of the nation's elite research universities, Florida State University -- with the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation, Doctoral/Research University-Extensive -- offers a distinctive academic environment built on its cherished values and unique heritage, welcoming campus on the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida, championship athletics, and prime location in the heart of the state capital.

    Our faculty includes: members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Pulitzer Prize winners; a Nobel Laureate; Oscar winners; and Guggenheim, Fulbright and National Endowment for the Humanities fellows.

    Florida State faculty members attract nearly $200 million a year in research dollars. Florida State consistently ranks in the top 10 universities nationally in physical sciences grants awarded by the National Science Foundation.

    Our nearly 40,000 students, of whom 8,500 are graduate and professional students, come from across the nation and around the world.

    Recognized nationally for its commitment to diversity, Florida State University is a national leader in the number of doctorates awarded to African-American students and in the graduation rate of African-American undergraduates. Its College of Medicine and College of Law are ranked in the nation's Top 10 for Hispanic students.

    Programs consistently included in the top public university list include physics, chemistry, political science, psychology, criminology, public administration, library science, information, human sciences, business and law.

    At the Ph.D. level, interdisciplinary programs draw on notable research faculty strengths that transcend the traditional disciplines, including neuroscience, molecular biophysics, computational science, materials science and research at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory--home to the world's most powerful magnets.

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