Curious about the FSU application and its admission requirements for 2023? We’re here to help you. Known as an elite research university in the US, Florida State University is located in the state capital—Tallahassee. FSU is home to over 45,000 students that are committed to thoroughly exploring the liberal arts while promoting creativity and innovation in each other. Some of its more popular majors—which you can apply to using the Coalition Application, Common Application, or FSU Application—include Psychology, Finance, Criminal Justice, and Marketing.
Throughout this post, we’ll cover several topics—how to get into Florida State University, FSU GPA requirements, FSU acceptance rates, when to apply and more—that will hopefully help you navigate the FSU admissions process.
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(click to skip ahead)How hard is it to get into FSU?
Considering FSU is a top public university in the US, it is very difficult to get accepted into FSU. Out of the 71,788 first-year applications received for the class of 2027, only 17,066 applications—or less than 25%—were accepted. The grade point average of people accepted into Florida State University are in the highest of their class, with 88% ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. The students successfully admitted into FSU also tend to have impressive extracurricular activities and college application essays.
FSU Acceptance Rate
The Florida State University acceptance rate for the class of 2027 is 24%, making it a highly competitive school. This is a shift from recent years, when FSU’s acceptance rate was generally in the 30s%. Keep in mind that a university’s acceptance rate is not only an indication of how competitive a school is, but also an indication of how popular a school is. To get into a school like FSU, you’ll need to perform very well in most areas of your college application.
FSU Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and Transfer Acceptance Rate
FSU’s early action is only available to Florida residents and due by October 15th. While FSU doesn’t publish data on early vs regular acceptance rates, Florida students interested in attending FSU are encouraged to apply early action. Keep in mind that Florida State University is a widely popular school to apply to, which is why over 70,000 first-year applicants applied to it in the last year. Regardless of the time you decide to apply, the FSU requirements—GPA, standardized test scores, and essays—remain the same.
FSU GPA Requirements
For Florida State, the GPA requirements for the Summer of 2023 and Fall of 2023 are between 4.1 - 4.5 and 4.3 - 4.6, respectively. You will need a very high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of your class in order to get into FSU. According to FSU’s Registrar Office, the minimum GPA requirement is a weighted 3.0. If your GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests (and to answer your questions, yes, you must submit either an ACT or SAT score to be considered). If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
FSU Unweighted Average GPA: 3.71
What GPA is required for Florida State University?
Applicants’ unweighted GPA when applying to FSU should be between 3.50 - 4.0 to be strong candidates. The average unweighted GPA of students that applied to FSU for the 2022 - 2023 school year was 3.71. Candidates that have a GPA below the 3.50 - 4.0 range will need to compensate by increasing their SAT or ACT score.
Florida State University Weighted GPA Requirements
FSU considers weighted GPA as one of its admissions factors. The median weighted GPA for Florida State University is 4.4 and its middle 50 percentile ranges from 4.3 - 4.6. According to the Registrar Office, FSU uses core academic subjects in its GPA calculation when considering which students to admit. IB coursework, AP classes, and AICE are all weighted and used in FSU’s recalculation. This means taking higher level courses will help show you’re a competitive candidate for FSU. You can find more on how they recalculate GPAs here.
FSU SAT Requirements
The SAT requirement for Florida State University is a 1340 - 1440 composite score, combining the reading and writing, and math sections together. The FSU average SAT score was 1370 for the class on 2024. To fall into the SAT range of 1340-1440 means you need have an incredibly high SAT score. To put this into perspective, the College Board stated that a score of 1350 placed in the top 10% of SAT takers in 2019. If your SAT score is lower than 1340 at the time you apply, you’ll want to make sure that you perform above average on your other standardized tests or other sections of the FSU application. You might consider discussing life experiences and hardships if you believe your grades are not as high as they could have been in the additional information section.
FSU Average SAT Composite Score: 1370
What SAT score is required for FSU?
Those applying to Florida State should have a SAT composite score between 1310-1430 to be considered strong candidates for admission to FSU. If you fall below this range, it might be in your best interest to compensate by including your ACT score or having an above-average GPA. Florida State University requires either an official SAT or ACT score from its applicants. The deadline for standardized test scores is dependent on whether you’ll be applying early action, regular decision, or rolling decision.
FSU ACT Requirements
31 is the go-to ACT composite score Florida State University is looking for after combining the English, math, reading, and science sections. Because of that, you’ll need a very strong ACT score in order to get into FSU. If you don’t have the ACT score you are hoping for by the time you apply, you’ll need to make sure that the other sections of your application are above-average. Having a stronger SAT score, GPA, or impressive extracurricular activities can help compensate for a lower ACT score. If you have experienced unexpected events or other life situations that impacted your ACT score, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.
FSU Average ACT: 31
What ACT score is required for FSU?
Applicants with a score between 29 and 32 on their ACT will be considered strong candidates for admission to FSU. Those that have a score less than 29 will want to compensate their application with either a higher SAT score, above-average GPA or strong extracurricular activities.
What does FSU look for in students?
Florida State’s mission statement and Office of Admissions can help shed some light on what the university is looking for in prospective students. According to FSU’s mission statement, Florida State hopes to expand its students’ knowledge in a plethora of disciplines while also developing the character, skills, and qualities of its students. Some traits it’s looking for in students include growth, innovation, education, diversity, inclusion, community, and helping others. Its goal is to use service, research, and teaching to not only guide Florida but also improve society as a whole.
While grades and test scores do play a role in the selection process, the Office of Admissions—using FSU’s mission statement to help influence their decision—takes a holistic approach to identify future students that exhibit their three institutional core values: Vires, Artes, and Mores.
Vires: Considered the first torch, Vires is strength. When examining the strength of potential students, the admission officers look at performances in grades, rigor, and high school courses. Application wise, this is when your transcripts, high school profile, course rigor, and GPA are reviewed.
Artes: The second torch is skill, which is shown through resumes and extracurricular activities. How you spend your time in and out of the classroom—clubs, sports, employment, achievements, volunteer events—can highlight some of the skills, values, qualities, and interests you have that make you you.
Mores: The last torch, Mores, represents character. Understanding how your experiences have influenced your actions, thought processes, and decisions is an important aspect that FSU admission officers are interested in. One way to show character is through your personal and supplemental essays, resume, and your high school and neighborhood context.
So in what ways can you show FSU that you’re what they’re looking for? Take a deep dive into Florida State’s mission statement and see where you align with its vision and priorities. Once you’ve identified the aspects of the mission statement you display, make sure that these characteristics are evident throughout the different sections of your application—essays, activities list/honors list, additional information section, education, high school transcript, and standardized test scores. Let the hard work you’ve done throughout your high school career show the admission officer just how much of a fit you and FSU are.
FSU Application Deadlines
The Florida State University application deadline for regular decision is December 1st. Florida residents are also able to apply early action by October 15th. The table below includes the deadlines for each step of FSU’s admissions process.
*Applicants must submit at least one test score before the application deadline. If applicants have additional tests scores, these scores may be considered if they are submitted prior to the the above tests score deadlines.
*Financial Aid applications for FSU open on October 21st. For priority consideration, it is recommended to complete the application by December 1st. If you are applying for FAFSA, you’ll want to complete it by the October 1st deadline.
FSU Early Decision, Early Action Policy
Florida State University offers early action to Florida students only. Early Action is non-binding, which means you can apply early action to several universities should you choose to do so. Students that apply early action can submit their information using the Common Application, Coalition Application, or the FSU Application. The deadline to apply is October 15th and the decision release date is December 15th.
FSU Supplemental Essay Prompts
Florida State University does not require any supplemental essays. FSU only asks that one essay—from the common application personal statement essay prompts—be submitted. Check out that guide and look at some example essays to set yourself up for strong writing.
Special thanks to Kaila for writing this blog post.
Kaila Barber (she/her) attended the University of Notre Dame, where she pursued her passion for science, as well as competed as a collegiate hurdler. She completed a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society, a B.S. in PreProfessional Science, and a M.S. in Global Health. Now she serves as a member on CEG’s Quality Control, Essay Review, Workshop, and one-on-one coaching team. Kaila loves gardening, watching anime, and reading mystery novels.
Top Values: Adventure, Growth, Patience
