Florida Gulf Coast University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
DeLand, Florida · Private nonprofit · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Florida Gulf Coast University is a private nonprofit university in DeLand, Florida that admits about 86% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $21,318 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 62% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 15.7 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Florida Gulf Coast University is a private institution located in DeLand, Florida. For the most recent reporting cycle, Florida Gulf Coast University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 86%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1208 and an ACT composite around 26. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $21,318 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Florida Gulf Coast University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Florida Gulf Coast University?
Florida Gulf Coast University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Florida Gulf Coast University weight in admissions?
Florida Gulf Coast University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Florida Gulf Coast University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 530–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 610. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–29. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 988 |
| 50th percentile | 1090 |
| 75th percentile | 1213 |
| % submitting SAT | 38% |
| 25th percentile | 19 |
| 50th percentile | 22 |
| 75th percentile | 27 |
| % submitting ACT | 18% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 13% |
| Top 25% of class | 44% |
| Top 50% of class | 71% |
| % submitting class rank | 67% |
How much does Florida Gulf Coast University actually cost?
Published tuition is $55,220 for in-state students and $55,220 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,030 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $21,318 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 35% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $59,290 |
| Room and board | $18,342 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $21,318 |
| Application fee | $0 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Florida Gulf Coast University
| Notification date | Rolling basis beginning December 15 |
| Reply deadline | Must reply by May 1st or within 30 days if notified thereafter |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | December 1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 89% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | December 15 |
Will my child graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Florida Gulf Coast University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Florida Gulf Coast University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Florida Gulf Coast University confers roughly 380 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General program report a median income of about $54,094 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 76 | $54,094 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 65 | $57,949 |
| Psychology, General | 54 | $47,029 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 46 | $79,626 |
| Music | 43 | $28,018 |
| Political Science and Government | 40 | $61,767 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 30 | $72,927 |
| Biology, General | 26 | $44,798 |
Is Florida Gulf Coast University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Florida Gulf Coast University disclosed 36 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 15.7 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 2 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Florida Gulf Coast University?
About 72% of undergraduates at Florida Gulf Coast University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 23% of men join a fraternity and 17% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Florida parents ask about
- University of Florida24% acceptance
- University of Miami25% acceptance
- Florida State University59% acceptance
- University of Central Florida40% acceptance
- University of South Florida-Main Campus41% acceptance
- Florida International University59% acceptance
- University of North Florida57% acceptance
- Florida Atlantic University41% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Florida Gulf Coast University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Florida Gulf Coast University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Florida Gulf Coast University
What GPA do I need for Florida Gulf Coast University?
Florida Gulf Coast University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Florida Gulf Coast University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 530–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 610. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–29.
How much does Florida Gulf Coast University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Florida Gulf Coast University after grants and scholarships is $21,318 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Florida Gulf Coast University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Florida Gulf Coast University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Florida Gulf Coast University?
Florida Gulf Coast University accepts about 86% of applicants out of roughly 11,674 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Florida Gulf Coast University test-optional?
Yes. Florida Gulf Coast University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Florida Gulf Coast University?
About 62% of students at Florida Gulf Coast University graduate within six years, and 56% finish in four years. 78% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Florida Gulf Coast University?
Florida Gulf Coast University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 89%, compared with its overall rate of 86%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Florida Gulf Coast University look for in applicants?
Florida Gulf Coast University rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Florida Gulf Coast University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Florida Gulf Coast University is a private nonprofit institution located in DeLand, Florida.
What are the most popular majors at Florida Gulf Coast University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Florida Gulf Coast University by annual graduates are Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. The school awards about 380 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Florida Gulf Coast University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Florida Gulf Coast University reported 36 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 15.7 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Florida Gulf Coast University?
At Florida Gulf Coast University, 72% of undergraduates live on campus, 23% of men are in fraternities, 17% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Florida Gulf Coast University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.