About
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida, United States. Located near Fort Myers, it is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second-youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It offers 65 bachelor's degree programs, 27 master's degree programs, 7 doctoral degree programs, and 19 academic certificates.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.5-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 89 Title IV programs, 42 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 47 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing42 · 47.2%
- No Data47 · 52.8%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 10
Action history · 16
- Dec 2025Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
- Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- Apr 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 5,099 students received $30.7M in Pell grants, alongside $41.8M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 2,653 borrowers who entered repayment, 37 (1.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Florida Gulf Coast
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 10
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus3
Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- North Lake Village1 fireCookingDamage $1,000-$9,999
- South Village1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Florida Gulf Coast vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Florida Gulf Coast selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectFlorida Gulf Coast University | 57% | — | 16,612 | $12,568 | Doctoral/Professional |
| 53% | 88.4% | 15,271 | $19,139 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 50% | 81.1% | 11,775 | $14,265 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 53% | 89.5% | 10,112 | $16,511 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 47% | 97.4% | 11,354 | $15,788 | R2 Research | |
| 48% | 95.8% | 9,488 | $12,923 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 63% | 85.7% | 11,746 | $14,158 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 60% | 81.8% | 11,686 | $13,315 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 50% | 84.4% | 12,204 | $12,767 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| Peer group median | 53% | 87.1% | 11,746 | $14,158 |
Institutions like Florida Gulf Coast
Explore the federal data for institutions in Florida Gulf Coast's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMinnesota
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Grad rate53%Admit rate88.4%Enrollment15,271Net price$19,139View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTennessee
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Grad rate50%Admit rate81.1%Enrollment11,775Net price$14,265View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalArkansas
University of Central Arkansas
Grad rate53%Admit rate89.5%Enrollment10,112Net price$16,511View data - R2 ResearchColorado
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Grad rate47%Admit rate97.4%Enrollment11,354Net price$15,788View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIndiana
University of Southern Indiana
Grad rate48%Admit rate95.8%Enrollment9,488Net price$12,923View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Grad rate63%Admit rate85.7%Enrollment11,746Net price$14,158View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalNorth Carolina
Western Carolina University
Grad rate60%Admit rate81.8%Enrollment11,686Net price$13,315View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsOhio
Youngstown State University
Grad rate50%Admit rate84.4%Enrollment12,204Net price$12,767View data
Florida Gulf Coast Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The IR staff provides information supporting decision making processes within all FGCU academic and administrative units. IR provides accurate, relevant and timely information used by the university and about the university.
Visit IR office page- Rosa Gomez-CamachoSr. Director, Institutional Research & Data Analytics
Common Data Set
Florida Gulf Coast's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C120,422 applied → 12,956 admitted (63.4%) → 2,706 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 63.4% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1050–1200 (median 1110).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 20–25 (median 22).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $20,170 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $20,170 → about $12,623 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($7,547); 50% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H112% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H537% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $28,376 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 57%; first-year retention 83%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 4 pts below the overall rate (53% vs 57%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I326% of classes have under 20 students; 8% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B22% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B114,434 undergraduates and 2,214 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D12,099 transfer applicants → 1,843 admitted (87.8%) → 1,091 enrolled
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardfgcu.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookData and Reports - Institutional Research - Florida Gulf Coast University2025The Florida Gulf Coast University's Institutional Research office provides regular analysis and data reports to aid planning and decision making. These include a Common Data Set, IPEDS reports, and FGCU 5-Year Profiles detailing various metrics like enrollment and graduation rates for academic years up to 2024-2025. Reports aid in policy analysis and help prospective students and families evaluate secondary educational institutions.fgcu.edu
- Strategic planFOCUS Strategic Plan2017The FOCUS Strategic Plan at Florida Gulf Coast University was developed as a five-year roadmap, approved by the Board of Trustees in December 2017 and the Board of Governors in January 2018. The plan outlines significant achievements and strategic efforts made by the university's community, reinforcing its growth and success. The document highlights major accomplishments and strategic objectives accomplished during the plan's duration.fgcu.edu
Notable alumni of Florida Gulf Coast (15)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Richard BleierAthletics
- Chris SaleAthletics
- Eli AbaevAthletics
- Kierstan BellAthletics
- Sherwood BrownAthletics
- Don CarmanAthletics
- Ross ChastainAthletics
- Casey ColemanAthletics
- Chase FielerAthletics
- Brandon GoodwinAthletics
- Courtney JollyAthletics
- Derek LamelyAthletics
Frequently asked questions about Florida Gulf Coast University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Florida Gulf Coast.
What is the graduation rate at Florida Gulf Coast University?
How many students attend Florida Gulf Coast University?
What is the average net price at Florida Gulf Coast University?
What is the yield rate at Florida Gulf Coast University?
Where is Florida Gulf Coast University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Florida Gulf Coast University?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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