Florida State University hosted its largest ever New Graduate Student Orientation on Aug. 18 at the HCB Building, welcoming more than 500 new students pursuing professional certificates, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Students spent the morning learning about various resources available to them on campus, including information about the libraries, safety protocols, health services and opportunities for teaching, professional and career development.
“Graduate student orientation is a critical part of the graduate student’s journey,” said Greg Bell, the new dean of FSU’s Graduate School. “We connect them with those resources now so that they know that they’re there in the future.”
For the first time this year, the New Graduate Student Orientation included a Tallahassee Community Fair, where students could meet with local organizations and government representatives to learn more about the city and Leon County.
“Success in graduate school is strongly correlated with students’ sense of community and their sense of belonging,” Bell said. “This was an opportunity to come and find people like you, people you can count on as you continue your graduate career.”
Record graduate student enrollment
The Graduate School enrolled this year for an expected total of more than 11,000 students across all programs, including those in law and medicine. Official numbers won’t be finalized until after the drop/add period ends Aug. 27, but this is expected to be the second year in a row with enrollment above 11,000 and the first time FSU has had consecutive years of enrollment above that number.
Sixteen FSU graduate programs and specialties ranked in the Top 25 among public universities, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report edition of Best Graduate Schools. Six graduate programs placed No. 1 in Florida.
FSU has placed special emphasis on enhancing doctoral education, pledging to invest $10 million toward that goal over five years. The Graduate School is part of FSU’s newly established division of Student Academic Success, which coordinates and develops initiatives that help the university maintain and grow its national stature as a leader in student success.
To learn more about The Graduate School at FSU, visit gradschool.fsu.edu.
