Florida's fifth public university, now a major research institution serving 32,000+ students across Southeast Florida.
Florida Atlantic offers over 170 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through 10 colleges, including the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. The university is classified as R1: Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity and maintains a 20:1 student-to-faculty ratio with average class sizes of 33 for undergraduates and 12 for graduate students. For fall 2021 freshmen, the middle 50% had a 3.73–4.33 high school GPA, 23–29 ACT composite score, and 1100–1270 SAT score.
FAU is home to two Centers of Excellence: the Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology and the Center for Ocean Energy Technology. The university houses an Imaging Technology Center and NASA Imaging Technology Space Center specializing in digital imaging research. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy designated FAU as one of three national centers for ocean energy research and development. The university maintains partnerships with major research institutions including Scripps Research Institute and the Max Planck Society.
The Boca Raton main campus spans 850 acres with additional campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. On-campus housing accommodates over 4,000 residents in nine residence halls. Students engage in 400+ clubs and organizations, with 5,000+ student-led events annually. Dining services operate 13 on-campus locations. The university emphasizes undergraduate research, with students participating in 6,000+ research experiences yearly and 10,000+ internship placements.
FAU accepts freshman, transfer, and graduate applications through online portals. The $30 non-refundable application fee is required. First-year students must submit ACT, CLT, or SAT test scores per Florida Board of Governors regulations. Transfer students need official high school and post-secondary transcripts plus test scores. The fall 2021 freshman acceptance rate was 60%. Graduate applicants apply through the Graduate College with program-specific requirements.
For 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked FAU 103rd among public universities and 189th overall nationally. Forbes ranked it 188th (2024–25), with 84th among public colleges and 44th in the South. Washington Monthly ranked FAU 41st nationally (2024). Program-specific rankings include Nursing Doctorate (78th), Nursing Master's (41st), and Education (107th). The university was named one of the 'Best Southeastern Colleges' by Princeton Review (2023).