Florida State University campus
Tallahassee, United States
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Florida State University

Tallahassee·university

#501

QS Rank

25%

Acceptance rate

~7.9%

Intl. students

$23,150

Tuition/yr

42,000

Enrollment

About Florida State University

Major public research university in Tallahassee, FL. Top engineering, business, and liberal arts programs.

Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, founded in 1851. It enrolled 46,184 students in Fall 2025 across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and is classified as a Carnegie R1 doctoral university with very high research activity.

FSU is nationally recognized for several programs: its College of Criminology and Criminal Justice ranks among the top two in the United States for faculty research productivity, and the Department of Meteorology is consistently ranked in the top tier of public universities. The university is also home to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the only NSF-funded national laboratory at a US university, attracting significant federal research funding. Programs in dance, film, music, and theatre are ranked among the strongest in the country.

The main campus spans 1,600 acres in Tallahassee, the state capital of Florida. The city has a mid-size, college-town character with a lower cost of living than Florida's major metro areas. FSU sits in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and draws students from all 50 US states and more than 130 countries.

World University Rankings

QS World University Rankings (2026)#501
Times Higher Education (THE) (2025)#401
ARWU / Shanghai Rankings (2024)#301
US News Best Global Universities (2025)#56

Campus & Location

Province

FL

Campus setting

Suburban

Cost of living: Housing: USD 950–1,600/mo. Food: USD 360–560/mo. FL state capital; college town, affordable. FSU has strong research and business programs.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

All graduates from CRICOS-registered programs qualify for 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT). STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for a 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total of US work authorisation.

For Nepali students

  • FSU's STEM-designated programs in fields such as computer science, statistics, and engineering qualify international graduates for the 24-month STEM OPT extension after the standard 12-month OPT period, giving Nepali students up to three years of authorized US work experience before needing employer-sponsored visa sponsorship.
  • International F-1 undergraduates maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible for FSU's out-of-state tuition waiver, which can reduce the tuition bill by up to 12 credit hours per semester, a meaningful saving at an already lower tuition rate compared to flagship universities in New York or California.
  • Annual international undergraduate tuition is approximately USD 23,000–24,000 based on the published out-of-state rate of $771.66 per credit hour for 2025-2026, placing FSU in a more affordable tier than many comparable US research universities, and Tallahassee's living costs are lower than coastal Florida cities.
  • With over 7% international enrollment drawn from 130-plus countries and active South Asian student associations on campus, Nepali students are likely to find an established peer community, and the Center for Global Engagement provides dedicated advising on visa, employment, and scholarship matters.

Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents

A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:

GPA 3.060%+ in NEB +2, B+ average in Cambridge A-levels, or Second Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.370%+ in NEB +2 or First Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.675%+ in NEB +2 or First Division with Distinction in a TU bachelor's degree.
IELTS 6.5The most common graduate minimum — achievable with 2–3 months of focused preparation. IELTS 7.0+ needed for the most competitive programs.

Use our GPA converter to translate your exact score to the 4.0 scale.

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Data last verified: 2026-06-18 · Source: https://www.fsu.edu. Information may change — verify with Florida State University’s official website before applying.