The University of Florida experienced a record number of applicants for the 2017-2018 school year.

  • Average student accepted at UF this year had a 4.4 GPA
  • 35,000 applied, 13,000 were accepted
  • UF is part of the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success

School officials attribute the increase in part to making it easier for potential students to apply in many different ways.

UF is also using several non-traditional ways to attract record numbers of high quality candidates.

Nearly 35,000 students applied to the school to enroll in the summer or fall of 2017.

It amounted to an almost eight percent increase over last year.

University officials said they've already accepted more than 13,000 students.

Those accepted have an average of 4.4 GPAs and scored 1349 on average on their SAT.

UF President Kent Fuchs called the incoming class among the most competitive ever. UF spokesperson and alumni Steve Orlando echoed the president’s statement.

 "Historically we have many applications from very qualified students for many years,”  said Orlando. “But if it's not the highest scores, it's one of the highest no question about it."

Orlando said one of the reasons UF has seen this kind of growth with high quality candidates is by recently participating in the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success program.

The program gives potential students the opportunity to fill out an application for one desired university and it is shared among the other coalition members.

Among the coalition's schools list of 49 in total is a who’s who of top public and private universities such as Harvard University, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, Duke University and Yale.

"We've gotten together to sort of streamline the application process for students and in particular students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not have familiarity with applying to college,” said Orlando.  “May not even know how it works or how to do it." 

Another way UF is recruiting candidates is through the Innovation Program.

Here students apply and if accepted are able to enroll in 30 majors.

"Sort of an alternate schedule for students,” said Orlando.  “So instead of the typical traditional attend class Fall-Spring take Summer off…these students come in the Spring attend Summer and take the Fall off."

Yet there is another way to apply through the Pace Program.

"You do a minimum of two semesters through UF online,” explained Orlando.  “That's our online Bachelors degree program you have to do two semesters at least through UF online and then you're eligible to go to the traditional residential admissions."

For the 2017-2018 school year, Florida State University will be using the Coalition applications program, along with 45 other top universities across the country.