The University of Florida seeks to enroll and to graduate applicants who will develop educationally and personally and contribute to the university community, the state of Florida and the broader society.
Evaluation Criteria
The Office of Admissions seeks to recruit, to admit and to enroll applicants who are academically excellent, accomplished in extracurricular endeavors and broadly diverse. It is the university’s experience and judgment that this diversity will create a vibrant educational atmosphere and provide the best educational experience for all students.
The university has admitted applicants with an outstanding array of academic and extracurricular credentials; diverse socioeconomic, geographic, athletic, religious, cultural, racial, ethnic and international backgrounds; and wide-ranging interests, achievements, experiences, talents and beliefs.
Evaluation Process
Admissions is more art than science: the admissions process is designed to consider all aspects of an applicant’s academic record and personal experiences, and is not intended to admit applicants solely on the basis of grade point averages and test scores.
UF's admissions process is dynamic; it is continually reviewed and updated to reflect changes in the composition of the applicant pool and the evolution of the university’s educational objectives. The Office of Admissions strives to find better ways to ensure an individualized and holistic review of every application.
The admissions review process tries to balance the subjective and objective components of any review: Admission officers can exercise flexibility and professional judgment in their reviews and decisions, but they must also apply consistent standards. Every evaluation retains a focus on academic achievement and the applicant's overall potential for success at the University of Florida.
Holistic Review
The university recognizes that there is great variation among applicants’ personal circumstances, home communities and high schools, including those schools’ course offerings and grading practices. Admission officers therefore have a responsibility to consider all factors when evaluating applications and to admit those applicants who are academically qualified and who have demonstrated a potential to contribute to and to be successful students at the University of Florida.
The new application is designed to facilitate individual holistic consideration. The application does not alter the factors considered in the process (i.e., socioeconomic status, special skills and talents, unusual experiences, etc.), it simply makes it easier for each applicant to illustrate these criteria, and thus facilitate a more complete and personal application review.
Short-answer and essay questions in particular help the Office of Admissions consider the applicant within the context of each applicant's own experiences: with family, in high school, in their local communities and within the context of their cultural backgrounds. All factors that can distinguish an applicant's achievements and indicate the potential for success at the University of Florida will be considered.