Education
FSU 175: How the university built its legacy of student success
This fall, FSU welcomes a first-year class of nearly 6,000 students. The university received more than 96,000 applications, up 12% from the previous year. Admitted students come from all 50 states, all 67 Florida counties, 55 countries and more than 2,700 U.S. high schools.
They bring strong academic records, including an average 4.5 core GPA, a 1430 SAT score and a 32 ACT score. Ninety-two percent ranked in the top 10% of their high school class.
“For 175 years, Florida State has expanded who has access to higher education while continually raising expectations for what students can achieve,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark. “Our success today is the result of generations of faculty and staff who believed talented students deserve every opportunity to excel.”
Opening doors for generations
That commitment began long before there was a university called Florida State.
In 1851, the Florida Legislature created the West Florida Seminary, and in 1857, classes began on the hill near where the Westcott Building now stands, the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida.
As the state grew, the institution evolved. In 1905, it became Florida Female College and four years later was renamed Florida State College for Women, or FSCW. At a time when opportunities for women in higher education were limited, FSCW built a national reputation for strong academics.
Another generation arrived after World War II. Veterans who had served around the world came home and pursued higher education through the GI Bill, preparing for new careers and lives after military service. Their arrival helped drive Florida State’s return to coeducation and its designation as Florida State University in 1947.
In the decades that followed, other students helped open FSU to new generations. Maxwell Courtney became the university’s first Black student to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1965. Today, the Integration Statue near the Student Union honors Courtney and other students who helped open the university’s doors to Black students.
The university’s connection to military students continues today through the FSU Student Veterans Center. The Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement, or CARE, traces its history to the launch of Horizons Unlimited in 1968 and continues a decades-long commitment to first-generation and limited-income students.
Different paths to FSU
First-generation students remain central to the FSU story. Today, nearly one in four Florida State undergraduates is the first in their family to attend college.
FSU supports today’s first-generation students through programs including CARE, which provides advising, mentoring and academic support. Its Summer Bridge Program gives students an early start on their college experience. President Richard McCullough’s and First Lady Jai Vartikar’s Horizons Unlimited Conference brings students, alumni and university leaders together to share their experiences and advice.
At the 2026 conference, McCullough, Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins and Head Football Coach Mike Norvell, all first-generation college graduates, shared their own journeys and the role higher education played in their lives.
Vartikar encouraged students to believe they belonged at FSU and wherever their ambitions might take them.
“I believe in you. Florida State University believes in you,” she said. “But most importantly, you have to believe in yourself.”