Florida Gulf Coast University College Portrait

Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended

50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.

Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2010-11 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)

Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $18,382.00

Out-of-State & Other Costs

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The cost to attend Florida Gulf Coast University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.

How much would I pay?

Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?

Scholarships & Grants

• 30% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $5,391.00. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.

Annual Need-Based Loans

• 27% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $7,373.00. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.

Percent of 2009 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid

NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.

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72% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
32% of all undergraduates live on campus

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The University Police and Safety Department is responsible for law enforcement, security, disaster planning, and emergency response at Florida Gulf Coast University and is located on the north end of the Campus Support Complex. The law enforcement officers of the Department receive their enforcement authority via the provisions of Chapter 1012.97 F.S.S. All University police officers are certified by the State of Florida after completion of an appropriate training course as set forth by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. Police officers at FGCU have full law enforcement authority including arrest powers on all property owned, or controlled by Florida Gulf Coast University. The University Police and Safety Department uses motor vehicles to patrol the roads and parking lots on campus. Other patrol strategies include bicycle patrol, foot patrol, ATV patrol, boat patrol and service vehicles (mules). The University Police has an excellent working relationship with all local law enforcement agencies, which assures the delivery of professional police services. All State and Federal agencies are available to assist the Department upon request. Communication and coordination with all area law enforcement are maintained on a 24-hour basis via computer networks such as Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Calling for Police Assistance The Department provides both routine and emergency services to all persons on campus. If you are in need of routine police service, please dial 590-1900 from any campus telephone excluding pay phones. If you are reporting a crime, or you need emergency assistance, please dial 590-1911 or use the emergency phones located in the parking lots and along walkways. From any pay telephone, dial 911 (no coin is needed). Routine Police Services The University Police and Safety Department operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is staffed by both sworn and civilian personnel. They are responsible for enforcing Florida laws, University rules and protecting the campus community. Services provided include routine patrol by vehicle, bicycle, or on foot, investigation of all misdemeanor and felony crimes, traffic enforcement, accident investigation, special events management, and crime prevention programs.

Campus Crime Statistics

The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/

Basic Type

Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs)

Size and Setting

Medium four-year, primarily residential

Enrollment Profile

High undergraduate

Undergraduate Profile

Medium full-time four-year, selective, lower transfer-in

Undergraduate Instructional Program

Professions plus arts & sciences, some graduate coexistence

Graduate Instructional Program

Postbaccalaureate professional (education dominant)

NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.

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Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.

Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.

Group Learning Experiences

• 95% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
• 53% of seniors tutored or taught other students
• 20% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports

Active Learning Experiences

• 83% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
• 19% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
• 52% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
• 77% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
• 7% of seniors participated in study abroad
• 96% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year

Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success

• 95% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
• 63% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
• 59% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
• 95% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations

Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff

• 54% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
• 81% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
• 96% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
• 72% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class

Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas

• 65% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
• 81% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
• 54% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity

Student Satisfaction

• 80% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
• 88% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
• 80% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive

Evaluation of Experiences

Survey Administration Process

Survey Information

Survey Administration Process

A four-year success and progress rate means that of students starting in Fall either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.

Counts for the Fall entering class shown in the graph above.

• 0 First-Time, Full-Time Students
• 0 Full-Time Transfer Students

First-time students in Fall 2010 that returned for their second year: 65%

All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.

All students graduating with a bachelor’s degree are expected to achieve writing proficiency (i.e., demonstrated communication skills) and employ critical thinking skills.

Since 2005, the Florida Board of Governors requires universities to establish for each undergraduate degree program an Academic Learning Compact (ALC) [link to ALCs]. The ALC is intended to provide students, parents, and employers with a clearly identified description of the skills (including communication and critical thinking) and discipline-based knowledge students will be exposed to in a given academic program.

At FGCU such assessments typically occur in a final capstone course (but may occur elsewhere in the curriculum as well). However, the manner in which this is assessed varies from program to program in keeping with the unique character of each discrete course of study and is usually done on a sampling basis. Some student assessment examples recorded over the last few years are included to illustrate this point [2-link to assessment examples]. Student results are then used by the faculty to strengthen the program’s curriculum with a goal of enhancing future student performance.

FGCU also employs standardized assessments such as the ETS Proficiency Profile. While the results of such assessments provide useful insight into student learning, FGCU believes that a deeper appreciation of student learning may be gleaned through customized assessments. This is due in large measure to the fact that customized assessments are embedded in courses and count toward a student’s ultimate grade. This provides a powerful incentive to perform well.  On the other hand, standardized assessments tend to be independent of course associations, usually are not embedded in a course of study, and consequently provide little or no incentive to student performance.

Notwithstanding, FGCU is sampling first-year students for assessment using the ETS Proficiency Profile and is also sampling students who are just completing their third year. This latter group will include transfer students as well. To date, a sample of over 200 first-year students have been assessed (and their results are included as part of this portrait) and third-year students will be assessed during the spring semester of 2012.  

How do our students fare after graduation? Students graduating from FGCU enjoy some of the highest post-graduation employment rates within the State University System of Florida as indicated by data compiled by the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP). Many of these graduates also pursue additional study as well [3-link to FETPIP data].  

Learning Assessment Examples

Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.

2007 - Results from the ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP)

The ETS Proficiency Profile (formerly MAPP) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and written communication and reports separate scores on critical thinking and written communication.

Test Administration Process

Test Information

Critical Thinking Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 107
Senior Score: 0
ETS score range: 100 to 130

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 21
Senior Score: 0

Average SAT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1022
Senior Score: 0

Written Communication Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 110
Senior Score: 0
ETS score range: 100 to 130

Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 21
Senior Score: 0

Average SAT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1022
Senior Score: 0

Critical Thinking Results for Full-time Transfer Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 0
Senior Score: 0
ETS score range: 100 to 130

Written Communication Results for Full-time Transfer Students

The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 0
Senior Score: 0
ETS score range: 100 to 130