Campuses of the University of South Florida
University of South Florida System (1965–2020)
From 1965 to 2020, the University of South Florida (USF) operated as a university system but has since been restructured into a single university with three geographically distributed campuses: Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee. Prior to this consolidation, the University of South Florida System consisted of three distinct institutions: USF Tampa (the flagship campus), USF St. Petersburg, and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Each institution had separate accreditation, missions, and strategic plans. Additionally, the system previously included three other campuses: one in Fort Myers, another in Lakeland, and a second Sarasota location.
USF Fort Myers, which opened in 1982, closed in 1997 following the establishment of Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Sarasota campus originated as a private institution called New College, which was acquired by USF in 1975 to resolve financial difficulties. Renamed New College of the University of South Florida, it retained its distinctive grading system as part of the agreement. Sharing a campus with USF Sarasota-Manatee (established in 1975), New College operated under a separate accreditation, as USFSM was initially classified as a branch campus rather than an independent institution. In 2001, New College gained independence as New College of Florida, continuing to share facilities with USFSM until a dedicated campus for USFSM was completed in 2006.
USF Lakeland, founded in 1988, separated from the USF system in 2012 to become Florida Polytechnic University.
In the summer of 2020, the university system was formally consolidated into a single institution spanning multiple locations.
Tampa Campus
Established in 1956, USF’s Tampa campus is the largest of the three, serving over 41,000 students. It houses 14 colleges and serves as the university’s doctoral-granting institution. The Office of Graduate Studies, which oversees graduate education across USF, is based here.
Located in North Tampa, approximately seven miles from downtown, the campus spans 1,562 acres. It is organized into districts: housing in the northeast, athletics and recreation in the east and southeast, research in the south and southwest, USF Health in the west and northwest, and undergraduate academics and student services centrally located. Each academic college occupies a designated area, with fine and performing arts in the northwest, social sciences in the east, natural sciences and engineering in the south, and education and business in the southeast.
Recognized for its greenery, the campus features over 19,000 trees and has been named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation annually since 2011. Many streets and dorms are named after trees, a theme reflected in the university’s ceremonial mace, which features a gold pinecone symbolizing growth and the campus’s first-planted trees—pine trees that remain standing today near the south entrance on LeRoy Collins Boulevard.
St. Petersburg Campus
USF established its presence in St. Petersburg in 1965 by taking over the former U.S. Maritime Training Center along Bayboro Harbor. The campus is situated in downtown St. Petersburg, near Albert Whitted Airport, the Salvador Dalí Museum, and Al Lang Stadium. Initially a satellite campus, it became independently accredited in 2006 within the USF system. USF St. Petersburg enrolls approximately 4,500 students annually, offering 33 undergraduate and graduate programs across arts and sciences, business, and education.
Sarasota-Manatee Campus
USF Sarasota-Manatee was founded in 1975 as a branch campus, initially sharing a location with New College of the University of South Florida. When New College became an independent institution in 2001, USFSM replaced it as a member of the USF system. The two institutions continued to share a campus until a dedicated facility for USFSM was completed in 2006.
Today, USFSM serves nearly 2,000 students each year, offering 43 academic programs and certificates in arts and sciences, business, education, and hospitality and technology leadership.