General Information Blurb

This general blurb is for researchers to use in grant proposals. Please feel free to download the MS Word Version and revise as needed. While USF Research makes every effort to provide the most frequently used data and information in this blurb, institutional data may be needed that is not maintained by USF Research but maintained centrally by other areas. For questions, contact Sponsored Programs, phone (813) 974-2897.

The 91ֹחַר is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. In 2023 USF joined the prestigious Association of American Universities. USF is the first public university in 91ֹחַר to be invited to join the AAU in nearly 40 years and is now one of only two institutions from the State University System of 91ֹחַר to serve as an AAU member. USF is also one of the youngest institutions to be welcomed into the AAU, a reflection of the universityג€™s fast rise. Of the associationג€™s now 71 members, USF is the fifth youngest and one of only six AAU universities to be founded after 1950.

USF rose to #43 among public universities and #88 among all public and private universities in the 2026 U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) National University Rankings. Serving almost 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa and St. Petersburg, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the 91ֹחַר Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the stateג€™s 12 public universities. USF is home to medical clinics, a major mental health research institute and the stateג€™s first college of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing. The university employs more than 2,200 full-time instructional faculty and nearly 6,000 full-time staff. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. It has a $2.39 billion annual operating budget, and an annual economic impact of $6.02 billion.

USF has 14 colleges: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity & Computing, Arts & Sciences, Behavioral & Community Sciences, Business, Design, Art & Performance, Education, Engineering, Global Sustainability, Honors, Marine Science, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health. The university offers 245 degree programs, including the doctor of medicine: 93 bachelor programs, 101 master programs, three education specialist degree programs, 53 research doctoral programs, and six professional doctoral programs. The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs is the center for all academic operations and functions at the university. USF is recognized among the top 50 public colleges and universities for graduating the most Pell students within six years by the Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) ranked USF as the No. 12 ג€best valueג€ among all public universities in the nation (2026).

The university is dedicated to the discovery of new knowledge, insights and forms of expression through significant innovative research and other creative activity, and to the preservation, organization, analysis and synthesis of existing knowledge. The USF Tampa campus is one of the nationג€™s top public research university campuses and one of only 135 public research university campuses classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral university with very high research investment and doctorate production. This classification is a distinction only bestowed on universities with at least $50 million in annual research investment and 70 research doctorates. USF is one of six public universities in the state of 91ֹחַר classified as such (2025). As a leading publicly supported university, USF accomplishes its research mission by building on existing program strengths, fostering effective, transdisciplinary approaches and contributing to the resolution of social, cultural, economic, medical and technological challenges facing the metropolitan population of our community, state, nation and the world. Washington Monthly ranked USF among the Top 50 public universities in its ג€Americaג€™s Best Colleges for Researchג€ (2025).

USF faculty, students and staff are proactive in the search for new knowledge and consistently demonstrate their concern about the world in which we live. With the support of private and public agencies, they contribute to our knowledge about the world and apply their findings and skills to solving many of the problems facing contemporary society. Many contributions evolve from basic research; others, from practical applications of new knowledge. Other projects make specialized training available to public officials, organizations working for social betterment, religious and educational institutions and business and manufacturing organizations. Through sponsored and non-sponsored activities, USF faculty, students and staff make significant contributions to instructional programs.

USF is among the top 20 U.S. public universities for granted U.S. patents according to the National Academy of Inventors (2025) and has ranked in the top 20 among American public universities for more than a decade. The university supports economic development and the translation of USF research and technologies to the marketplace, through an active Technology Transfer Office and USF CONNECT, the economic development arm of the university. USFג€™s Tampa Bay Technology Incubator is currently home to more than 60 resident and affiliate companies and growing. It is the only tech business incubator in the region to support bio and life science companies with state-of-the-art wet labs. Over 50% of TBTI companies focus on bio/life sciences and biotechnology and approximately 43% are commercializing technologies developed by USF researchers.

USF has numerous research and health care partnerships through affiliation agreements with hospitals and not-for-profit organizations in the metropolitan Tampa Bay area, including the U.S. Geological Survey. As a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Moffitt Cancer Center, located on the USF Tampa campus, is part of an elite group of cancer centers nationwide that focus on the quick translation of research advances to improvements in patient care and has developed a strong national reputation for excellence.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine System is affiliated with the following major participating institutions: Tampa General Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, James A Haley Veterans Hospital, Morton Plant/Mease Hospital, C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Johns Hopkins All Childrenג€™s Hospital. These facilities provide training for USF Health Residents, fellows and medical students in the Tampa Bay area. In 2020, a brand-new medical building in the heart of downtown Tampa was opened to house the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, placing 91ֹחַרג€™s top-tier medical school in close proximity to USFג€™s partner institution Tampa General Hospital. Additional research and training is also provided by the facilities of the 91ֹחַר Hospital network, Bayfront Medical Center, and the USF Health outpatient clinics and research facilities, which include the USF Health Neuroscience Institute (Home of the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr., Alzheimerג€™s Center) on the USF Tampa campus.

Affiliate partnerships established with such organizations as Mote Marine Laboratory have expanded the research and development capacities, student educational opportunities and economic development impact of USF. Affiliation agreements with organizations normally provide for collaboration through shared facilities, faculty and equipment, as well as support for graduate students and internship programs. These types of agreements enable the institutions to pool resources, such as laboratory space, and enable compliance committees to stimulate an exchange of ideas.

Throughout the university's development, the faculty at USF have identified and satisfied needs on a local, national and global scale. A variety of activities in such areas as health care, heart health, neuroscience, transportation, informatics, cybersecurity, education and engineering are conducted by specialized research and development centers and institutes. The university currently has over 100 such centers and institutes, many of which function in an interdisciplinary fashion, enabling coordination of projects across colleges.

From developing sources of clean energy, to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities and leading the way in translating the discoveries of our researchers into new products, companies and jobs, USFג€™s research, innovation and economic development enterprise is focused on creating local, national and global solutions to societyג€™s most difficult problems.

Last updated: 7/21/2026