The University of West Florida has seen plenty of growth since its founding, beginning with 1,422 students and only a few buildings. In the 60 years since, the institution now teaches more than 13,000 students and its campus has expanded to 1,600 acres.
After a feasibility study was conducted during the early 1960s to determine whether or not residents of Northwest Florida needed a university, Florida's Legislature allocated funds to establish the University of West Florida in 1963.
UWF and its first president, Dr. Harold Crosby, would spend the next year developing their main campus in Pensacola, their Emerald Coast location in Fort Walton Beach, the John C. Pace Library and working to become an accredited university.
In the past five years, the university has seen record-breaking enrollment numbers in addition to large sums of funds for investment and growth on behalf of the state legislature.
What should prospective Argonauts and their families know about the university?
Funds for UWF:UWF received whopping $131M in Florida budget. Here’s how the money will be spent.
What is UWF known for?
The University of West Florida is recognized for multiple awards, for both academics and athletics, alongside its 1,600-acre campus that can immerse people in its nature. The school mascot is the Argonauts, named after the crew Argo in ancient Greek mythology which sought to seize the golden fleece under the helm of the hero Jason.
Military friendly schools, an organization that surveys veteran and military students to determine which universities best serves their military members, ranked UWF as a gold-level institution in its large public-school category and they are also tied for 10th-best in U.S. News' top public universities in the south category.
UWF's football team brought the institution an NCAA Division II championship in 2019, making history after beating three top seeds in the same tournament. UWF began as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before transitioning to an NCAA Division II school in 1994.
Where is UWF?
The University of West Florida's main campus is located at 11000 University Pkwy in Pensacola, Florida and can be reached using two roads: University Parkway and Campus Drive.
UWF's Emerald Coast location is a joint campus of UWF and Northwest Florida State College located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It can be found at Northwest Florida State College's campus; Northwest Florida State College is located at 100 College Blvd E.
UWF teaches 11 undergraduate degree programs at the Emerald Coast campus but offers a total of 70 programs between online classes and their Emerald Coast/main campuses.
How much does UWF cost?
Students at UWF will have to pay varying rates for credit hours which are dependent on their residency prior to attending the university. Florida residents will pay $212 per credit hour, Alabama residents will pay $317 a credit hour and residents of neither state will pay $642 for every credit hour.
UWF has not raised its tuition in several years, placing it 40% below the national average for tuition and fees according to data from College Board.
In a mission to ensure that all students have access to higher education regardless of their financial backgrounds, UWF created the "Argo 30 Guarantee" program. They say that the program represents their commitment to cover low-income students with tuition and fees.
The Argo 30 Guarantee is awarded to incoming undergraduate Florida residents who are full-time Pell Grant eligible and working toward their first undergraduate degree. It will cover all tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other grants or scholarships.
The program will cover up to 30 credit hours each academic year, fall and spring semesters, for a maximum of four years.
What GPA is needed for University of West Florida?
Admission requirements for incoming UWF freshmen, like many universities, may shift by semester. In order to be considered for admission at the University of West Florida presently, students must meet the following minimum requirements:
- 2.70 GPA (weighted)
ACT
- Math: 19
- Reading: 19
- English: 17
SAT
- Reading and writing: 490
- Math: 480
Meeting the minimum requirements listed above does not guarantee admission to UWF.
According to UWF, the middle 50% of their 2022 freshman class had the following scores:
- 3.5-4.2 GPA
- 1050-1220 SAT
- 21-27 ACT
Prospective transfer students will also need their scores to meet UWF's requirements in order to be considered for admission. The requirements vary depending on each student's classification by credit hours transferred:
Freshman transfer (12-29 credit hours)
- Earned 12-29 credit hours after high school graduation.
- Have a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA from all college courses attempted.
- Have a 2.00 GPA at your most recent institution and be in good academic standing.
- Meet allfreshman admission requirements, which include submitting their final high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended.
Sophom*ore transfer (30-59 credit hours)
- Have a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA from all college courses attempted.
- Have a minimum 2.00 GPA at most recent institution and be in good academic standing.
- Have successfully completed at least 30 credit hours.
- Have earned a letter grade of "C" or higher in English Composition and Mathematics (college level) courses.
- Submit official transcripts from all universities attended.
Students who do not meet these requirements will have to meet the requirements for the freshman classification.
Upperclassman transfer (60+ credit hours or A.A. degree)
- Have a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA from all college courses attempted.
- Have a minimum 2.00 GPA at most recent institution and be in good academic standing.
- Have successfully completed at least 60 credit hours.
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.
Is the University of West Florida D1?
The University of West Florida is not a NCAA Division I school for athletics. UWF has been a member of the NCAA's Division II since 1994, joining after spending 24 years as a member of the NAIA.
In order to become a Division I school, an institution must meet a list of requirements, including sponsoring at least seven sports for men and seven for women, or six for men and eight for women, with two team sports for each gender among other requirements.
What programs are at the University of West Florida?
UWF has more than 70 undergraduate-degree programs and 37 master's programs available for prospective students. Beginning in the Fall 2023 semester, they will have an online Master of Science in Administration program specializing in sport administration which will prepare students for careers in the growing global sports market.
As of Fall 2022 UWF had 13,504 students enrolled, 69% of which were enrolled in undergraduate programs.
