How to Get Into Florida State (FSU): Acceptance Rate & Strategies

August 12, 2025

This past cycle, Florida State University received over 78,000 applications, an all-time high. FSU’s rise in popularity has—not coincidentally—also led to a spike in selectivity. For example, in 2005, the FSU acceptance rate was 62%; by 2020, that figure had plummeted to just 32%. The middle 50% of applicants accepted to the Class of 2029 through early action had GPAs ranging from 4.3 to 4.6. The average SAT score ranged from 1350 to 1450, and ACT scores ranged from 30-33. FSU may have once had a reputation as a football-centric party school, but clearly, these days, this top-20 public university is only a realistic option for teens with excellent academic credentials.

To assist you in your research, we will touch on the following topics:

Florida State’s Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of enrolled FSU applicants
Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
Florida State’s system for evaluating applicants
A look at the demographics of current Florida State University undergraduates
The percent of accepted students that enroll at FSU (yield rate)
Tips for applying to Florida State University
How to assess whether applying to Florida State is even worth the $30 application fee (for you)

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Florida State (FSU) Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

Out of the 78,272 applications for admission into the Seminole Class of 2028, just 18,954 were accepted. As such, the FSU acceptance rate was 24% for the Class of 2028.

Historical Florida State acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	74,038	18,793	25%
Class of 2026	78,088	19,552	25%
Class of 2025	65,256	24,184	37%

FSU In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate

Gaining acceptance into FSU from out-of-state is far more difficult than as a resident of the Sunshine State. In fact, for entry into the Class of 2028, 31% of in-staters were successful compared to just 16.5% of non-residents.

What GPA do you need to get into Florida State?

Official statistics for the Class of 2028 tell us that enrolled freshmen had an average unweighted GPA of 3.71 and a weighted GPA of 4.26. Moreover, 95% of students had a weighted GPA of 3.75+.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Florida State?

A whopping 90% of enrolled freshmen were in the top quarter of their graduating high school class. Even more impressively, nearly 76% of enrolled first-years graduated from the top decile.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Florida State?

According to Class of 2028 statistics for enrolled freshmen, the mid-50% SAT range was 1290-1400. The mid-50% ACT range was 29-32.

Admissions Trends & Notes — Class of 2028

FSU’s number of first-year applications has increased by over 150% since 2016.
The FSU acceptance rate has dropped 15 points since 2020.
88% of admitted students were in the top 10% of their class.
21% of admitted students are the first in their families to attend college.
Admitted students came from all 67 Florida counties and 719 Florida high schools.
48 countries and all 50 states were represented in the pool of accepted students.
The top three areas of study for admitted applicants were business, engineering, and biology.

How Florida State Rates Applicants

Only one factor at FSU is ranked as “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load. 12 other factors are deemed as “important”: class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, essay, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, first-generation status, geographical residence, state residency, volunteer work, and work experience.
Straight from the Florida State University admissions office: “This holistic review process confirms that you have graduated from a regionally accredited high school (or the equivalent) with specific academic courses, have a competitive cumulative grade point average based on these courses, and have achieved a competitive ACT or SAT test score. Additional factors include the rigor and quality of the courses and curriculum you have taken while in high school; the strength of your senior schedule; your senior-year math level; the number of sequential years you have had in a world language, the quality of your written essay; and your extracurricular activities.”
It is also worth highlighting that recruited athletes enjoy a huge edge. This is because Florida State takes great pride in its 20 NCAA Division I sports teams that participate in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Overall, more than 650 student-athletes are presently attending the university and approximately 350 of those individuals receive an athletic scholarship.
For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Who Actually Gets Into Florida State?

Let’s look at the demographics of the enrolled class of 2028, beginning with geographic place of origin:

Florida: 81%
Out-of-State: 17.7%
International: 1%

In one recent class, the greatest number of international students come from the following countries:

India
China
South Korea
Panama
Nigeria

In terms of ethnic identity, the breakdown for the Class of 2028 was follows:

White: 56%
Asian: 4.6%
Hispanic: 24%
Black or African American: 6.3%
Two or more races: 5%

A look at the gender split reveals that the Class of 2028 enrolled far more women than men:

Men: 42%
Women: 58%

Florida State’s Yield Rate

Florida State’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 31%. FSU’s yield is typically a bit lower than the University of Florida, University of Georgia, or University of Virginia.

Tips for Applying to Florida State

If you plan on joining the 78,000+ Seminole hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

Florida State requires standardized test scores for admission.
Florida State does not use interviews as part of its evaluation process.
Florida State does not consider “demonstrated interest” so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
Save some extra time to complete the Student Self-Reported Academic Record (SSAR) required by Florida State. This is essentially a self-reported transcript for grades 9-11.
Prospective Seminoles can apply through the Common Application or Coalition Application.
You are required to send official ACT and SAT results to this school (many other schools will let you self-report).
There are no supplemental essay prompts for FSU. Focus your efforts on perfecting your general Common App Essay.

Should I apply to Florida State?

Those with SAT/ACT scores within the mid-50% mark for Florida State University who also have a transcript of almost exclusively A’s and B’s are definitely viable candidates for this terrific public institution. If you live in Florida, you will enjoy an admissions edge over an out-of-state or international applicant.

Florida State University (FSU) Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

Of course, it goes without saying that all teens applying to a school of FSU’s caliber also need to have a proper mix of “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.

Need additional application-related resources? Consider checking out the following:

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College Admissions

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.