What We Look For

Academic Requirements

A strong academic record of college prep courses shows us that you're motivated and that you care to put forth your best work. To be considered for admission, first-year applicants should have taken:

• ENGLISH: 4 years
• MATHEMATICS: 3 years
  • Engineering applicants are required to have completed precalculus
• SOCIAL SCIENCES: 3 years
• LAB SCIENCES: 2 years
  • Nursing applicants are required to have completed chemistry prior to applying for admission.
  • Biology or Physics (Only one of these courses needs to be completed. It will not increase your chances of being admitted if you have completed both.)
• FOREIGN LANGUAGE: 2 years

Extracurricular Activities

Tell us how you're involved in your community. Remember, "community" doesn't have to mean your physical town or neighborhood. It can also mean the people you identify with, or groups (formal or informal) you've become a part of throughout your life. When you think about "making the world a better place," what does that mean to you, and what is your role in it?

Describe what you do outside of academics. We want to learn how you will contribute to our Jesuit mission of social responsibility and being people for others. We encourage you to focus on a few activities that you care deeply about, or activities where you've grown and learned the most. This can certainly include pursuits that you do on your own — painting, poetry, writing music — so don't forget to include those if they are important to you. Some students have deep involvement with only one or two extracurricular activities, and that's fine. Don't feel pressured to include activities to fill space or make your list longer.

If your responsibilities outside of school included commitments to your family (like taking care of a sibling or relative) or work (such as a part-time job), please do also include those in your application. These are important aspects of your story, and we'd like to know about them.

Letter of Recommendation

(Optional) A letter of recommendation is not required for admission. You may still submit one if you’d like, but we will consider all applications with or without a letter of recommendation equally.

Short Answer Question (Nursing Students only)

In addition to your personal statement, we'll look at your response to our short answer question. This response should be distinct from your Common Application essay. Please don’t cut and paste an excerpt from your main essay as your response to our short answer question.

English Language Proficiency (International Students only)

If English is not your native language, you are required to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English test. Learn more about our English language proficiency requirements, including how to waive these requirements.

Test Optional

USF does not require students to submit standardized test scores when applying for undergraduate admission.

We took this step because we strongly believe it is the right thing to do. Caring for and appreciating the whole person ('cura personalis') is an essential part of our mission as a Jesuit institution. We know that you’re more than your test scores.

If you feel that your test scores represent your academic accomplishments and potential, feel free to submit them. Otherwise, you can choose to leave them out of your application, and our admission team won’t see them in your application. You will not be penalized if you don’t submit your scores, and you will be considered for admission and merit scholarships just the same as students who do submit scores.

How to Apply Test Optional: When you apply to USF, you will see a question that asks if you’d like to have your test scores considered for admission and scholarship purposes. Here, you’ll have the choice to select yes or no. Please note that if you choose not to submit standardized test scores, our admission team will place more weight on your short answer question and academic profile.

Scholarships: If you choose to omit test scores from your application, you will still be eligible for merit-based scholarships. Your application will not be penalized, and it will be considered on the same grounds as students who do submit test scores. We only recommend submitting test scores if your score exceeds the average of our fall class student profile.