Florida college comparisons / FSU vs UCF
A Tallahassee or Orlando plan—and which application timeline fits?
For Florida families · Sources checked September 11, 2026 · Profile years and populations labeled below
FSU’s October early deadline and UCF’s October application deadline do not mean all supporting-material deadlines match. Put each document and test deadline on the calendar before planning a final retake.
| Measure | Florida State University | University of Central Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Published SAT range | 1380–1480 | 1310–1420 |
| Published GPA range | 4.3–4.6 | 4.11–4.57 |
| Who is included? | Fall 2026 admitted students | Fall 2026 admitted freshmen; profile updated August 2026 |
| Primary source | Read the official profile | Read the official profile |
Swipe the table on a small screen. These are admitted profiles, not enrolled cohorts, application cutoffs or your student’s odds. GPA calculations differ by university and are not the Bright Futures GPA. The population and source labels above are part of the comparison; do not separate them from the numbers.
A 1300, 1350 or 1400 can mean something different at each university. These examples locate a score within the published profile; they do not estimate acceptance probabilities.
| SAT | FSU | UCF |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Below the published range | Below the published range |
| 1100 | Below the published range | Below the published range |
| 1200 | Below the published range | Below the published range |
| 1300 | Below the published range | Below the published range |
| 1350 | Below the published range | Inside the published range |
| 1400 | Inside the published range | Inside the published range |
| 1500 | Above the published range | Above the published range |
FSU: this entire band is below its published range. UCF: this entire band is below its published range.
Start with a diagnostic, identify foundational gaps and keep several realistic college options. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this entire band is below its published range. UCF: this entire band is below its published range.
Start with a diagnostic, identify foundational gaps and keep several realistic college options. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this entire band is below its published range. UCF: this entire band is below its published range.
Start with a diagnostic, identify foundational gaps and keep several realistic college options. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this entire band is below its published range. UCF: this entire band is below its published range.
Separate the scholarship target from the admission target and weigh a retake against coursework and deadlines. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this band crosses a published range boundary. Compare your exact score with 1380–1480. UCF: this band crosses a published range boundary. Compare your exact score with 1310–1420.
Separate the scholarship target from the admission target and weigh a retake against coursework and deadlines. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this band crosses a published range boundary. Compare your exact score with 1380–1480. UCF: this band crosses a published range boundary. Compare your exact score with 1310–1420.
Review whether another test is the best use of your time alongside grades, applications and program requirements. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
FSU: this entire band is above its published range. UCF: this entire band is above its published range.
Review whether another test is the best use of your time alongside grades, applications and program requirements. Scores inside or above a range never guarantee admission.
Check your exact score:
At 1350: FSU — below its published range; UCF — inside its published range.
2027 entry: Early Decision and Florida-resident Early Action October 15, 2026 (materials October 22); Regular Decision December 1 (materials December 8). Early Decision is binding and has program restrictions. Additional test deadlines differ from application deadlines.
Official dates and application requirements2027 summer/fall: Early Action October 15, 2026; materials November 15; decisions December 4. Regular summer application/materials March 1, 2027; fall May 1. Early submission matters for limited merit funds.
Official dates and application requirementsThese Florida public universities require an accepted standardized test for first-year admission. Check the school’s current SAT, ACT or CLT reporting instructions, superscoring rules and latest accepted test date before booking a retake. An application deadline may be earlier than a final score deadline; a scholarship or specialized program may close sooner.
For 2027 high-school graduates, the SAT targets are 1330 for FAS and 1190 for FMS. For 2028 graduates, they are 1350 and 1200. A 1300 clears the FMS SAT target in both years; a 1350 or 1400 clears the FAS SAT target. GPA, approved hours and all other requirements still apply.
At an eligible public university, FAS covers 100% and FMS 75% of eligible tuition and applicable fees. Housing, food, transport and personal expenses remain. The budgets below are the universities’ published 2026–27 Florida-resident on-campus estimates before aid. Their credit loads differ, so these totals are not a normalized price ranking.
| School | Before-aid budget | Published basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSU | $26,018 | 26 credits | Official budget |
| UCF | $26,272 | 28 credits | Official budget |
Where the budget gives a credit load, the calculations below subtract a matching fall/spring award from the published on-campus budget. These are planning estimates, not bills or financial-aid offers. They include living expenses and exclude other aid; rounded budget figures can leave small tuition differences.
| School / annual load | With FAS | With FMS | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSU (26 credits) | $20,466 | $21,854 | Award rules |
| UCF (28 credits) | $20,328 | $21,814 | Award rules |
Use the university’s award notice for your actual credit load: subtract that Bright Futures amount and other confirmed grants from your own tuition, housing and living budget. Do not subtract a 30-credit scholarship from a 26- or 28-credit budget. Loans are financing, not discounts.
Use our Bright Futures scholarship calculator to explore the scholarship side, then compare the living arrangements the family would actually choose.
Before estimating scholarship coverage, review the Bright Futures requirements by graduation year and Bright Futures GPA calculator. Then use the eligibility calculator to check the relevant inputs.
A prospective filmmaker should investigate FSU’s production BFA and its creative application directly. A prospective nurse should examine UCF’s specialized admission routes. These are examples of program-specific decisions that broad university rankings cannot settle.
FSU’s film production BFA is a structured production pathway: investigate its separate application and creative requirements. Engineering is delivered through the joint FAMU–FSU College of Engineering, so include the engineering campus in a visit.
Read the program’s own requirementsTallahassee is the main campus location. Engineering families should separately check transportation to the joint engineering campus and build that travel into the weekly schedule.
Nursing is a specialized admission decision. Compare the bachelor’s admission routes and prerequisites, not simply admission to UCF. Mechanical engineering, finance and biomedical sciences also appear among the leading intended majors in the admitted profile; popularity is not evidence of a better program.
Read the program’s own requirementsUCF’s main campus is in the Orlando area. Identify the campus for the intended program before comparing housing, commute or internship access; an Orlando address alone does not tell you the daily travel time.
Ask both departments for typical enrollment in the first-year courses your student would take, plus lab, discussion and upper-division sections. A university-wide student–faculty ratio is not average class size. Ask to see a normal first-year course schedule as well as any honors options.
Walk from likely housing to a required class, find tutoring and advising, and ask how students access projects or placements. For a commuter, add travel time and parking to the schedule. Internship access is useful only if the student can meet the requirements and make the journey.
A Tallahassee or Orlando plan—and which application timeline fits? Bring your student’s current score report, grades, intended major, graduation year and realistic housing budget. We can help separate the next useful testing milestone from decisions that depend on program fit or admissions review.
Book a free 45-minute Zoom strategy session to discuss your student’s SAT goals and a practical prep plan. You do not need a perfect college list to start.
Book your free strategy sessionReviewed September 11, 2026 by Florida Test Prep. University and state sources govern admission and scholarship decisions. Planning advice on this page is our interpretation. Profile years are labeled rather than silently mixing admitted and enrolled statistics.