Tampa Relocation - Universities / Colleges

Higher Education

The Tampa Bay region offers a wide range of higher educational options, from community colleges to award winning private colleges and universities to a nationally ranked public university.

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida (USF) system is comprised by three separately accredited institutions (USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee), an enrollment of over 46,700, as of 2016, and an annual budget of $1.6 billion, USF is a major economic driver in the Tampa Bay region, contributing $3.7 billion to the Tampa Bay's economy annually. 

USF is a top 25 public research university and is one of only four Florida public universities recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching with its top-tier research university designation.  It was awarded a record $458.5 million in research contracts and grants in 2016.

USF specializes in research on nanotechnology, robotics, biosensors, stem cells, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, marine schience and oceanography, aging, genetics, neurology, public health, alternative fuels, and advanced materials research.

Research

USF is proud to be a student centered national research university. Students have the advantage of working directly with world-class researchers in fields from aging, to education, psychology, engineering and transportation.

• USF is one of the nation's top centers in conducting research aimed at new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. It has pioneered the concept of brain repair -- placing cells in the brain to help fix the damage of disease or injury.

• USF is the only university that has been designated as one of the five National Centers for Water Treatment Technologies in the country. These centers are sponsored by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) and the U.S. Dept. of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

Outreach and Engagement

Virtually everyone in the Tampa Bay region-and beyond-enjoys some benefit from USF through countless outreach and engagement activities. USF contributes to the well being of its immediate urban neighborhoods through health care and networks of social research and service projects.

• In 1988, USF began a program for at-risk migrant children to complete their high school equivalency. More than 90 percent of the 1,200 students since then have now completed their high school equivalency and many have gone on to college or have careers that have taken them out of the migrant fields.

• In 2016, USF Tampa was ranked in these U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges lists: Best Public National Universities, Best Colleges and Universities in the World, Best Colleges for Veterans, Best Graduate Level Programs, Best Online Education Programs by U.S. News and World Report.

• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at USF annually ranks among “America’s Best Hospitals” for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report. Moffitt has become the third-busiest cancer center in the nation.

• The USF College of Public Health is the only public health college in the state accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The college is a leader in health promotion and disease prevention.

• USF provides lifelong learning and professional development programs through Continuing Education, serving more than 9,000 people and awarding more than 13,000 hours of continuing education units annually.

Economic Impact

USF is key in the creation and development of the Florida High Technology Corridor from Florida’s East Coast along Interstate-4 to the Gulfcoast. This area has become the state’s high-tech leader, encompassing some 60% of Florida’s high-tech industries.

• USF's Center for Entrepreneurship and its business incubator are noted for success in moving discoveries from basic research to applied research, and into companies in the community. USF was ranked in the top ten nationally for the creation of start-up companies by the Association of University Technology Managers.

• Among 71 national research universities surveyed, USF ranked fourth in the number of inventions licensed to start-up companies, and first among universities with similar profiles.

• More than 85,000 of 200,000 graduates since the first commencement in 1964 live in the Tampa Bay area.

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