Office of the University Registrar

Admission Information for Freshmen

Middle 50% of the 2009 Freshman Class:

  • High school GPA of 4.0 - 4.4
  • SAT scores of 1780 - 2060
  • ACT scores of 27 - 31

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 nonacademic, 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 hours following graduation from high school.

Students receiving their high school diploma and the Associate of Arts degree at the same time should complete the freshman application. The application 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 -- July 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 July 1 through November 1, regardless of entering term.
  • Freshman decisions will be available in mid February for students who applied prior to November 1.

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

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 and competitive when the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of freshman spaces available.

Minimum Requirements for Freshman Admission Consideration

  • Graduation from a regionally accredited secondary school or the equivalent (G.E.D., etc.).
  • Nineteen academic units, 16 distributed as follows:
English (with substantial writing)4 years
Mathematics (Algebra 1, Formal Geometry, Algebra 2)4 years
Natural Sciences (two units must include laboratory)3 years
Social Sciences3 years
Foreign Language (must be sequential)2 years
  • 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.
  • A combined score of at least 1330 on the critical reading, math and writing sections of the SAT (with writing), with a minimum score of 440 on each.
    On the ACT with Writing test, a composite score of 19 is required with a minimum of 17 on the English subsection, a minimum of 19 on the math subsection and a minimum of 18 on the reading subsection.
  • Home schools and non-accredited schools: Any student who does not graduate from a regionally accredited secondary school must provide, in addition to a transcript and the new SAT with Writing or ACT with Writing results required of other applicants, results from the SAT subject examinations in mathematics (Level II-C), foreign language, science and social science. For admission decision purposes, the university will use the result of the new SAT writing subscore if the applicant has no dual-enrollment or virtual school English composition coursework, since the SAT subject test in writing is no longer offered.
    Please note:
    • Applicants who present scores on the G.E.D. also must present records from secondary schools attended and standardized test scores. The applicant’s overall academic background will be considered.
    • In some cases, students may provide accredited community college course work and/or online course work in lieu of SAT subject area exams. Contact the Office of Admission for more information.

Tuition Deposit

  • Freshmen are required to submit a $200 nonrefundable 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.

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 community 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 and Math 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 nondegree 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.

Accelerated Graduation

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

Additional Information for Freshmen