<p>UF can't promise to take the state's top 5 percent of high-school graduates -- an expected 7,700. UF's enrollment is limited to 6,500, says Provost Janie M. Fouke.</p>
<p>''We don't make any guarantees,'' she says, adding ''it's really hard'' to choose among so many gifted students.</p>
<p>`OUT OF MY LEAGUE'</p>
<p>Kelly Donovan of Lake Worth says she knew not to apply to UF once she heard that practically every incoming freshman had earned a 4.0 grade-point average in high school.</p>
<p>''It seemed so out of my league,'' says Donovan, majoring in education at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton."...</p>
<p>"Three years after university officials capped the size of the freshman class at about 6,600, competition at UF is at an all-time high, forcing admissions workers to choose among the brightest and leaving behind an unprecedented number of disappointed families. Of those who applied to be part of this fall's incoming freshman class, an estimated 42 percent were accepted -- the lowest acceptance rate in the history of the state's public schools. Selectivity at the state's top university is expected to heighten as UF continues to work toward becoming one of the nation's Top 10 public universities. It should also be noted, the Yield rate was at 57% for last year."</p>
<p>The amount of in-state applicants in California dwarfs that of Florida. Not to mention that UCLA and Berkeley have far superior national and international reputation to UF.</p>
<p>They have a very good national reputation for Graduate Programs. Not so sure their Undergraduate programs are as highly regarded (I doubt their UG experience is that much better than UF's). Just saying people should stop complaining about 42% admitted overall, it could be a heck of alot worse. Also most of these incoming freshmen are only paying 3k a year, and by national standards it is ridiculously cheap to attend UF. It's almost comical how cheap UF & FSU's tuition actually is.</p>
<p>The ones admitted are going to get a $150,000 education for only a $12,000 price. Seems unfair to excellence in our State University System. We could use the extra revenue to make UF a far greater Undergraduate experience. The class sizes could be reduced, more faculty, more classes, and more advisors. Win-Win scenario.</p>
<p>I think raising tuition costs is the best thing the state education system has done in years. It might suck for lower-middle income families, you can only hope that those kids work extra hard to obtain merit-based aid and scholarships to fund their education.</p>
<p>I agree 100%. Students just do not realize how the revenue will help their experience. UF & FSU are still two of the greatest bargains in all of higher education.</p>
<p>It's really a double-edged sword: Do you worry about the economic welfare of students or the potential improvement for schools due to these hikes? The short-term costs outweigh the benefits, but in the long-run students are going to be really happy when state institutions are ranked even higher and are even more prestigious as a result of these hikes.</p>
<p>All I know is 3k for a year of in-state-tuition is ridiculous. That kind of public policy will bankrupt institutions. I would prefer to have lower costs for out-of-state students so that we can braindrain other states, and get alot more quality young professionals to boost Florida's economy.</p>
<p>Florida can't do much right now. Remember Florida cut the budget this year for all the universities. (Every state school I visit seems to be doing major damage control now about this during open houses) I took a class this summer at FAU for a special high school program at their Honors college. At the graduation ceremony, the president of FAU attended and spoke, and announced to us that it may be the last year they hold the program because of the cuts, though he is apparently "trying his best" to keep the program alive. The professor I had also mentioned that his salary was being decreased. We were actually in a discussion about the HPV vaccine because the course was about cancer biology. Everyone in the class argued for the state paying for all girls to get it. Then he said, "You think the state is going to pay $150 per shot, when each girl needs five shots? They're already cutting our budget!"</p>
<p>Well UF has over a 4 billion dollar budget, so I seriously doubt a 21 million dollar budget cut is as bad as the administration is making it seem. They are in the middle of a Capital Campaign, and what better excuse then to say the state is short changing our budget.</p>
<p>If it's true that most freshmen have a 4.0 average, then any tuition increase will have to be absorbed by the state (lottery money maybe) because then all students will be Bright Futures Scholars. Lower to middle income students would not be affected. The main cost of a UF education is living expenses, not tuition, and that would not change. Out of state tuition is exorbitantly high already, so a $1000 increase would be about 5%.</p>
<p>From what I understand, the rise in tuition will not be covered by Bright Futures. This may also cause a lot of excellent students who might have gone to FSU/UF before the tuition increase to consider other schools.</p>
