The University of Tampa

Love where you live and learn

A popular destination for transfer students
The University of Tampa is a medium-sized private university that provides a smooth transition for transfer students. Over 20% of UT’s incoming students each year are transfers. For the past five years, Phi Theta Kappa has named the University on the College Transfer Honor Roll, which identifies the top 60 universities creating dynamic pathways to support transfer students. Additionally, UT provides robust transfer scholarships and need-based aid to qualified students. Note that to be considered a transfer student, a student must have completed one full semester of college outside of high school from a regionally accredited university prior to submitting their application.

A model university for a global society 
The University of Tampa provides its students with exceptional comprehensive learning experiences in a global context. For UT’s most talented students, the invitation-only Honors Program and Spartan Undergraduate Research Experience offer extensive opportunities for instruction, research, seminars, and travel offerings including a prestigious study abroad experience at the University of Oxford. With 10,566 students from all 50 United States and most of the world's countries, the University is a global community perfect for students who value diversity and culture. Despite its medium size, UT keeps its classrooms small with an average class size of 21 and a student-faculty ratio of 17:1, helping ensure students develop meaningful relationships with their peers and faculty.

UT academic offerings and accreditations
Students can pick from over 200 areas of study, and nearly all programs are direct admit. For UT’s most talented students, the Honors Program offers extensive opportunities for instruction, research, seminars, and the chance to represent UT at the renowned University of Oxford for a semester.

The University of Tampa is fully accredited as an institution, and its programs are individually accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, and the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The University is also a member of the invitation-only Coalition for College, representing the top 5% of colleges and universities in the United States.

The city of Tampa
Tampa Bay is one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, leading to significant job growth and opportunity. In 2021 Forbes ranked Tampa as the number one up-and-coming technology hub in the nation, and in 2023, Forbes again ranked Tampa, this time as the number one best place to live in Florida. With Tampa’s year-round warm climate, dynamic culture offerings, and championship sports records, it’s easy to see why so many people call Tampa home.

The University is the sole college campus in downtown Tampa. On the banks of the Hillsborough River facing Tampa’s city skyline, UT is perfectly placed for entertainment and career building. Students enjoy a five-minute walk from downtown, granting them amazing access to both work and play.

Local cultural offerings
Right across from campus is the Tampa Riverwalk, over two miles of waterfront path that connects to Bayshore Boulevard, the world’s longest continuous sidewalk at 4.5 miles of uninterrupted pavement perfect for biking, running, walking, or rollerblading. Along the Riverwalk students can sightsee and enjoy some of Tampa’s best cultural offerings including the Tampa Art Museum, Straz Performing Art Center, Tampa Theatre, Tampa Bay History Center, and Florida Aquarium. Historic neighborhoods close to downtown include Ybor City and Hyde Park, perfect for a day of shopping or a good meal.

Sports fans have plenty to root for as Tampa boasts three major-league championship sports teams—the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tampa Bay Rays—all of which have stadiums within a quick walk or drive from campus. With its warm climate, Tampa Bay attracts several MLB teams each year for spring training, including the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays. Students enjoy spectating games, and many have interned for these world-class organizations. Last but not least, UT is just over an hour away from Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World. Thrill seekers can even enjoy a more local option with Busch Gardens or Adventure Island. Those looking for a more laidback day can drive east to hit some of the best beaches in the country along Florida’s beach Gulf Coast.

Campus life
UT’s campus seamlessly blends history and tradition with high-tech modern style. The campus has its own registered national historic landmark, Plant Hall—once a 19^th-century luxury hotel. It's widely admired as one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Not a place to rest on its laurels, the University has also invested more than $750 million in new facilities and technology in recent years. All of UT’s 12 residence halls are new buildings or newly renovated within the past 15 years, offering students close-knit communities with the comfort and security of home.

The Vaughn Center serves as the hub of student life. Vaughn residents have great access to the building’s food courts, recreational areas, a theater, student office space, the Barnes & Noble campus store, and a conference center with incredible views of Tampa Bay. Morsani Hall offers state-of-the-art amenities and eight separate dining venues. Other outstanding facilities and resources include the Sykes College of Business, Ferman Center for the Arts, Graduate and Health Studies Building, Reeves Theater, 1,000-seat Falk Theatre, R.K. Bailey Art Studios, Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, and a waterfront Marine Science Field Station complete with research vessels. The Martinez Athletics Center, Naimoli Family Softball Complex, and Naimoli Family Athletics and Intramural Complex represent some of the best athletics facilities in the country. Students also enjoy a 21st-century fitness center that boasts a new two-story aquatic center complete with a lap pool and hot tub. A new multi-purpose building is currently being constructed and will open in Fall 2024 complete several hundred new residence spaces, parking spaces, and dozens of classroom and office spaces for students and staff to enjoy.

UT provides everything for an outstanding educational, social, and cultural experience, plus myriad opportunities to hone leadership skills with more than 300 clubs and organizations. These include student government; honors societies; student publications; sororities and fraternities; nationally recognized Army, Air Force, and Naval ROTC programs; TV/radio stations; intramural sports; community service opportunities; guest lecturers; theatre performances; concerts; art exhibits; poetry readings; student recitals—and more.

We've got it all at UT
Looking for a model private university? You’ve found it: The University of Tampa.