Talking Points

Talking Points

  • FSU is ranked No. 19 in the U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2021" guidebook, marking the second consecutive year that the university placed in the Top 20.
  • FSU's four-year graduation rate is among the highest in the country at 74%, placing FSU first in the State University System and n the top 10 among public universities. FSU's six-year graduation rate rose to a record 84 percent, also among the highest in the nation.
  • Florida State University has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
  • Florida State consistently delivers an affordable, high quality education and offers distinctive opportunities to engage its students. In 2019, Kiplinger's Personal Finance "Best College Value," ranked Florida State as the No. 3 best value among public colleges for out-of-state students.

  • Florida State University is retaining first-year students at a record rate, according to the most recent data reported to the Florida Board of Governors. Ninety-five percent of FSU’s first-time-in-college students who enrolled in Summer/Fall 2019 stayed for their sophomore year — a record for the university. This year’s freshman class of about 7,200 students was the largest and most diverse in university history. These are also some of the brightest students in the university's history, with an average grade point average of 4.3 and an average 1310 total SAT and ACT composite score of 29.

  • Florida State University is ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide for producing patented technologies, according to a new report from the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.
  • Currently about 25 percent of FSU undergraduate students conduct out-of-class research and in the next four years in-class and out-of-class research is projected to reach 100 percent.
  • FSU researchers received a record $233.6 million in funding for the 2019 fiscal year.
  • The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering vaulted 37 spots to No. 40 among public universities and 51 places to No. 69 among all national universities in the U.S News & World Report's "Best College 2021" guidebook.
  • U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida State’s undergraduate business program moved up three places to No. 28 among public universities and six spots to No. 44 among all national universities.
  • U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Florida State No. 30 overall and No. 18 among public universities in its "Best National Universities for Veterans" rankings.  In additon, U.S. News & World Report's "Best Online Programs for Veterans" has the:
    • College of Education at No. 4 nationally for its online graduate Education program for veterans”
    • College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at No. 5 nationally and No. 4 among public universities for educating veterans in its online Criminal Justice graduate program
    • College of Communication and Information at No. 6 nationally and No. 4 among public universities in the “Online Graduate Program for Veterans in Information Technology” rankings
    • College of Business at No. 21 overall and No. 18 among public universities in the "Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans" list
  • The Journal of Criminal Justice Education ranked Florida State’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice No 1 in the nation for faculty research.
  • The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice has the No. 1 ranked master's program in the country, based upon a comparative assessment of criminology and criminal justice programs in 1604 accredited colleges and universities, Intelligent.com, 2020.
  • The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts maintained its high ranking in yet another entertainment industry publication in 2020. The Wrap News revealed last week that FSU placed No. 13 in its list of the nation’s top 50 film schools.