Florida State University
Public Research University in Tallahassee, FL. Six-year graduation rate 86%. Median 10-year earnings $61,675.
Ten-year median earnings of $61,675 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. The six-year graduation rate of 86% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $18,000 in debt — in line with the national norm. On economic mobility, 2.2% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.29 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 86% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Florida State University admits just 24% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. 78,272 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. About 31% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. Read the score bands below as the middle 50% of submitted scores, not a threshold to clear.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 640–710 | 3,487 (64%) |
| SAT Math | 630–700 | |
| ACT Composite | 29–32 | 1,968 (36%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Florida State University →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 86% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. First-year retention of 96% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. A 17:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. 32,217 undergraduates puts this among the larger schools, which usually means more choice and less individual attention.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 31,812 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $15,815 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $5,938 at the $0–30k band to $19,239 at $110k+. About 82% get grants averaging $9,692, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 21% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 5,799 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,938 |
| $30–48k | $6,963 |
| $48–75k | $10,496 |
| $75–110k | $14,991 |
| $110k+ | $19,239 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 6,564 of these 31,812 students, totalling $40,767,677 — an average of $6,211 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Leon County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)