Nursing is one of the University of South Florida's flagship, most heavily research-funded programs, delivered through USF's College of Nursing on the Tampa campus. USF is a Carnegie R1 "very high research activity" institution with nearly 50,000 students, and its Nursing program benefits directly from that research infrastructure and from Tampa's large regional healthcare employer base, anchored by systems like Tampa General Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center. For international applicants, USF Nursing is a real, achievable target — but it comes with one policy that catches many applicants off guard: USF does not accept IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, or Duolingo at all for freshman admission, relying on SAT/ACT/CLT sub-scores instead.
This guide covers exactly what it takes to get into USF's Nursing program — acceptance rate, real costs, requirements, the SAT/ACT-based English rule, and career outcomes.
Acceptance Rate
USF does not publish a Nursing-specific acceptance rate. Here's what we know, and the honest caveat around it:
- USF's undergraduate acceptance rate sits at approximately 43% across recent admissions cycles — a real, meaningfully selective figure, well below the university-wide rates of universities like San José State or the University of Cincinnati.
- Nursing programs at research universities are frequently more competitive than the university-wide average, since clinical placement capacity and accreditation requirements cap enrollment more tightly than most other majors — USF doesn't publish a Nursing-specific figure to confirm this precisely, but applicants should not assume Nursing tracks at the same 43% rate as USF overall.
- USF's six-year undergraduate graduation rate is approximately 75%, a strong outcome for a large public university at this admit rate.
Bottom line: treat 43% as a university-wide proxy rather than a Nursing-specific guarantee, and expect Nursing — given clinical capacity constraints typical of accredited nursing programs nationally — to be at least as competitive as USF's general figure, if not more so.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
USF's BS in Nursing is billed at USF's standard non-resident/international undergraduate rate:
| Cost Item | Amount (USD/year) |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees (non-resident/international rate) | $18,342 |
| Estimated living expenses | $13,000 |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | $31,342 |
Over a four-year BS in Nursing, this puts total sticker-price cost at roughly $125,000 before any funding — notably lower than most private universities, and one of the more affordable published rates among comparably ranked US public research universities. USF's international application fee is $30.
Admission Requirements
USF's Nursing admission runs through the standard international freshman application, with the important caveat that English proficiency works differently here than at most US universities (see below).
- USF Application via the Common Application, Coalition Application, or USF's own portal
- Official secondary school transcripts, evaluated using a recalculated GPA based on core academic courses only, with quality-point bonuses for AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, AICE, and Honors coursework
- At least one of the SAT, ACT, or CLT — mandatory; USF does not accept an application without one of these
- Evidence of two years of the same foreign language in high school, or an equivalent (the Foreign Language Entrance requirement, or FLENT)
- Non-refundable $30 application fee, or a fee-waiver request
- Financial documentation sufficient to support I-20 issuance after admission
USF does not require an admissions essay for freshman applicants, and there's no explicit published minimum GPA — though recently admitted classes have carried recalculated GPAs in the 4.13-4.58 range. Nursing specifically has no separately published GPA threshold in USF's data, but given clinical placement capacity constraints, expect competitive applicants to sit at or above USF's general admitted-class range. Deadlines run in three rounds: November 2 (Early Action), December 16 (Regular Decision), and March 1 (final Rolling deadline).
How to Get Into USF's Nursing Program
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Treat your SAT or ACT prep as your English-proficiency evidence, not a separate task. Because USF doesn't accept IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Duolingo for freshman admission at all, your SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing or ACT English/Reading sub-scores are doing double duty — they're both your academic admission test and your proof of English proficiency.
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Build a strong core academic transcript, since USF recalculates GPA from core courses only. AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, AICE, and Honors coursework earn quality-point bonuses in USF's recalculation — rigorous coursework matters more here than a high but unweighted GPA.
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Don't skip the Foreign Language Entrance requirement (FLENT). Two years of the same foreign language in high school is a hard requirement for USF freshman admission, not just a recommendation — confirm your transcript meets this before applying.
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Apply in the earliest round your documents allow. With three sequential deadlines (November 2, December 16, March 1), applying Early Action gives Nursing applicants — a program likely more competitive than USF's general 43% admit rate — the best odds and the earliest visibility into scholarship consideration.
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Understand there's no conditional-admission safety net. Unlike the University of Cincinnati or Illinois Tech, USF does not run a bridge program for applicants who fall short of its requirements — meet the published SAT/ACT/CLT sub-score bar at the time you apply, or plan to reapply in a future cycle after strengthening your scores.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
This is the section every international Nursing applicant needs to read carefully: USF's freshman admission policy explicitly does not accept TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE, or any comparable standalone English proficiency test. Instead, English proficiency for freshman applicants — including Nursing — is demonstrated entirely through minimum sub-scores on the same standardized test used for general admission:
| Test | Required minimum sub-scores |
|---|---|
| SAT | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing ≥ 490; Math ≥ 480 |
| ACT | English ≥ 17; Reading ≥ 19; Math ≥ 19 |
| CLT | Verbal Reasoning + Writing ≥ 38; Quantitative ≥ 16 |
If you're an international applicant preparing an IELTS or TOEFL score assuming it will satisfy USF's requirement the way it would at almost any other US university, it will not — for the freshman Nursing application specifically, your test-prep time is better spent on SAT/ACT-style reading comprehension and grammar. (This unusual rule applies to undergraduate freshman admission only; if you later pursue a graduate nursing degree at USF, standard TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo minimums apply — IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 79 — the same as USF's other graduate programs.) There is no conditional-admission pathway at USF for applicants who fall short. For general USF admissions context, see the University of South Florida guide.
Career Outcomes
USF does not publish a Nursing-specific employment rate or starting salary, but the program's research standing and regional healthcare market give a strong proxy:
- Graduation rate: 75% (university-wide undergraduate figure)
- Research standing: USF's College of Nursing is a core part of a Carnegie R1 research institution, with strong NIH-funded research activity supporting its academic programs
- Top regional healthcare recruiters: Tampa General Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center anchor USF's healthcare employer network, alongside broader Tampa Bay-area systems — both frequently cited among USF's overall top undergraduate recruiters
- USF's broader employer network: Raymond James, Duke Energy, Jabil, and Deloitte round out USF's top undergraduate recruiter list, reflecting the diversified Tampa Bay regional economy Nursing graduates enter alongside healthcare-specific employers
Nursing remains one of the most stable, in-demand career paths for international graduates in the US healthcare system, and USF's Tampa location gives students a direct pipeline into one of Florida's largest hospital and cancer-research networks well before graduation.
FAQ
Does USF accept IELTS or TOEFL for Nursing undergraduate admission? No. USF does not accept IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, or Duolingo as proof of English proficiency for freshman applicants, including Nursing. Instead, you must meet minimum SAT, ACT, or CLT sub-scores (e.g., SAT EBRW ≥ 490, ACT English ≥ 17/Reading ≥ 19).
Does USF publish a Nursing-specific acceptance rate? No. USF's only published figure is the university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate of approximately 43%. Nursing programs typically face additional capacity constraints from clinical placement and accreditation requirements, so expect it to be at least as competitive as the university-wide figure.
How much does USF's Nursing program cost? Tuition and fees run $18,342/year for international students, with total estimated annual cost of attendance around $31,342 — roughly $125,000 for the full four-year BS before any funding.
Does USF offer conditional admission for Nursing applicants who don't meet the requirement? No. USF does not run a conditional-admission or English-bridge program at either the undergraduate or graduate level. You need to meet the published requirement at the time you apply.
What if I want a graduate nursing degree at USF instead? Graduate admission works differently from undergraduate: standard English tests apply, with a minimum of IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 79, and a bachelor's degree with a "B average" (3.0/4.0) or better.
Is the SAT or ACT essay required for USF Nursing applicants? No — USF does not require an admissions essay or the SAT/ACT essay component for freshman applicants, including Nursing.