Stretching from the Alabama border to the Atlantic are four of Florida's eleven public universities. The dominant school in the region, and oldest in the state, is Florida State University (fsu.edu), located in Tallahassee. FSU, established in 1851, has an enrollment topping 40,000 making it by far the largest university in North Florida. Florida A&M University (famu.edu) is a historically black school with an emphasis on agricultural and mechanics. Other North Florida universities are the University of West Florida (uwf.edu) in Pensacola and the University of North Florida (unf.edu) in Jacksonville.
Florida's West Coast, from the Panhandle to the Everglades, has three institutions in the state university system: University of South Florida, New College of Florida (ncf.edu) and Florida Gulf Coast University. The New College of Florida in Sarasota and Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers are smaller liberal arts colleges. New College, catering to honors students, is the smallest university in Florida with an enrollment of less than 1,000. The University of South Florida is on the opposite end of the spectrum with an enrollment surpassing 47,000, making it the ninth largest university in America -- the third largest in the Florida. USF is known as one of the top research universities in the Southeast, classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a top tier research institution.
Florida International University (fiu.edu) in Miami and Florida Atlantic University (fau.edu) in Boca Raton are both located on Florida's East Coast. Both are relative new comers to the state university system, established in 1965 and 1961, respectively. Both schools have grown significantly over the last few decades as population explodes in Southeast Florida. Florida Atlantic University is becoming an important research institution, establishing partnerships with the Scripps Institute and Max Planck Society. Florida International University, with an enrollment of more than 44,000, is the largest university in South Florida.
The University of Florida (ufl.edu) and University of Central Florida (ucf.edu) are the two biggest schools in the state university system. UF, the largest school in Florida and third largest in the country, is the crown jewel of the Florida university system. The school's $1.1 billion endowment is nearly double the next closest university. Established in 1853, UF is ranked as the No. 17 public university in America, according to U.S. News & World Report. UF is located in Gainsville. The University of Central Florida is a close second to UF in size with more than 50,000 students. Located in Orlando, UCF is considered a commuter school because of the vast number of working students and adults taking continuing education courses. The institution was ranked the No. 7 "Up-and-coming" university by U.S. News & World Report.