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About the University of Florida

A Top Public University by the Numbers

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Among America’s Best Universities

See what others are saying about Florida in this comprehensive guide to our latest national and international rankings.

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Public University

Wall Street Journal

17:1

Faculty-to-Student Ratio

As of Fall 2023.

97.3%

Retention Rate

As of 2021.

President Ben Sasse in front of University Seal

Meet President Ben Sasse and the teams that lead our university.

Administration

See accreditation info from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Accreditation

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Visiting Campus

Momentum that Drives What We Do

You’ll find a palpable energy at Florida, an unmistakable drive powered by place, people, perspectives and purpose. What starts here can change the world—it’s happening now.

At Florida, we’re feeding communities, healing coastlines, exploring space, curing diseases, powering cities, building industries and imagining wonders.

Cutting Edge of a Continent

On fertile ground where solutions grow, in sight of two coastlines, Florida offers an unparalleled setting for discovery.

We’re an economic and ecological crossroads, addressing the distinct needs of our state while responding to currents from abroad. We feel and see global challenges firsthand but confront them with optimism.

Community of Collaborators

It’s this spirit that pulls people to Florida. We welcome anyone who finds joy in discovery and reward the best and brightest with unmatched resources.

Over the past five years, Florida has made transformational investments in faculty and inspired record public and private support. Our ambitious goals and commitment to follow-through have catapulted us to stand among the nation’s top public universities.

Collisions at the Intersections

One key to our success: Understanding that breakthroughs happen when perspectives meet.

We unite artists and engineers, physicians and philosophers, entrepreneurs and educators. We distill practical solutions from pure science and apply the lessons of history to contemporary problems. We embrace a diversity of experiences and ideas as the core of our strength.

Intellectual Theme Park

These collisions, this embrace of experimentation, can yield a sense of play. Florida is more than just a laboratory or studio—it’s a full-scale intellectual theme park driven by imagination, dreams and ambition.

We’re the state’s most comprehensive university, a land grant institution with ties to every Florida county, a top academic medical center and much more.

Where Solutions are Launched

At Florida, we’re feeding communities, healing coastlines, exploring space, curing diseases, powering cities, building industries and imagining wonders.

The ideas born here gather steam and make tangible impacts. Florida is among the nation’s leaders in technology transfer, turning discoveries into companies, products and jobs. Come join us—let’s see where we can go together.

We’ve come a long way from the days of 19th century predecessors like the East Florida Seminary and the Florida Agricultural College. Today, the University of Florida is a world-class destination for students, scholars and innovators.

Driving Innovation Since 1853

In 1858, James Henry Roper founded the Gainesville Academy. Eight years later, he offered the school as a new site for the Ocala-based East Florida Seminary. Eventually, the seminary would merge with other institutions to become a state university.

Grounded in Gainesville

In 1884, Florida Agricultural College in Lake City became the state’s first land-grant college. Seeking to expand the school’s focus, the Florida legislature renamed it the “University of Florida.” Before long, it too would merge into a greater institution.

Florida’s First “University”

In 1905, the Florida legislature merged the state’s existing public institutions into new schools segregated by race and sex. Gainesville lobbied to become home to the largest—the University of the State of Florida. The new university operated in Lake City while construction proceeded on the Gainesville campus.

Consolidation & Campaigning

In 1909, Albert Murphree—the university’s second president—led a reorganization that created the institution’s first group of colleges and increased enrollment tenfold to more than 2,000. The university also officially shorted its name to “The University of Florida.”

Growing with Purpose

In 1911, Florida’s sports teams adopted the gator mascot and nickname after pennants featuring an alligator proved popular. Orange and blue became the official colors that same year.

Here Come the Gators

Gator Athletics

In 1924, the state legislature mandated that the university accept women into programs not available at Florida State College for Women, the sex-segregated school created nearly 20 years prior. Lassie Goodbread-Black became the first woman to enroll.

Opening to Women

women's team holding NCAA championship trophy

In the early 1930s, university president John J. Tigert created grant-in-aid athletic scholarships to quash under-the-table payments to student athletes. The program offered the foundation for modern athletic scholarships implemented by the NCAA.

Leadership for College Sports

The 1940s and 1950s saw drives to open the university to more women and to people of color. By 1947, Tallahassee’s Florida State College for Women became Florida State University, and both state universities went co-ed. In 1958, George H. Starke became UF’s first Black student.

Road to Opportunity

In 1956, Florida’s colleges of medicine and nursing opened, followed by a teaching hospital in 1958. Today, Florida is the only U.S. university with six health-sciences colleges on a single campus.

Center for Health

UF Health

In 1965, Florida scientists introduced a beverage that helps athletes stay hydrated and dubbed it "Gatorade." When the Gators won their first Orange Bowl over the Georgia Tech Yellow jackets in 1967, the opposing coach quipped, "We didn't have Gatorade. That made the difference."

Better than Water

In 1985, Florida joined the Association of American Universities, a network of North America’s leading research institutions. In 2009, the university announced renewed emphasis on graduate programs and research—another sign of its emergence as a leader in discovery.

A Greater Commitment

Professor looking at camera with student

In 2015, W. Kent Fuchs became Florida’s 12th university president. In 2017, he announced a plan to hire an additional 500 faculty members, part of a coordinated effort to boost Florida’s national standing. The move has reduced Florida’s faculty-to-student ratio to 17:1.

Investment in Innovation

Engineering student does the Gator Chomp, creating light trails.

In 2020, Florida forged a $70 million partnership with NVIDIA to create the nation’s most powerful university-owned supercomputer. It’s part of a university-wide project to infuse artificial intelligence across the curriculum and increase AI-related research and development.

Focusing on AI

AI Initiative

In 2021, Florida ranks among America’s five best public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual assessment of the nation’s best colleges.

A Top American University

More Florida Rankings

Anti-Racism Central Initiatives

Florida has embraced a campus-wide commitment to understand our past, address racism and promote equality, starting with a focus on the Black experience.

Join Us in Fighting Racism