Tools & Resources
Student Achievement at USF
Student achievement is at the core of the University of South Florida's (USF) mission and strategic priorities. Supporting student success across all campuses and student populations is a critical focus of USF's strategic planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement efforts. As reflected in USF's annual Accountability Plan submitted to the Florida Board of Governors (BOG), USF is committed to advancing student achievement and success outcomes that align with State University System (SUS) goals and performance expectations. The annual Accountability Plan helps align the strategic direction and priorities of Florida's public universities with system-wide goals established by the BOG while also allowing institutions to identify and monitor areas of particular institutional importance. Through its accountability framework, USF tracks a broad range of student achievement indicators and uses these measures to evaluate institutional effectiveness, inform decision-making, and support continuous improvement.
While USF invests extensively in student success initiatives at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, the university places particular emphasis on the following student achievement measures:
- FTIC Four-Year Graduation Rate Trend (Full-time, First Time in College students)
- FTIC Academic Progress Rate (Full-time, First Time in College students)
- Percentage of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
- Percentage of Graduate Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
- Percent of Bachelor’s Graduates Enrolled or Employed ($40,000+)
- Professional Licensure and Certification Examination First-Time Pass Rates
These student achievement measures are operationalized through measurable goals and performance indicators reported in USF's Accountability Plan.
Current and historical Accountability Plans, which include additional measures of student achievement and institutional performance, are publicly available on USF’s website. Definitions of performance metrics and additional contextual information are provided within the Accountability Plan documents.
Student achievement metrics
FTIC Four-Year Graduation Rate Trend (Full-time, First Time in College students)
Percentage of FTIC students who started in the fall (or summer continuing into fall) term and graduated from the same institution by the summer term of their fourth year.
| 2019-23 | 2020-24 | 2021-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 65.5 | 66.0 | 68.3 |
| Approved Goal | 63.0 | 65.0 | 66.0 |
FTIC Academic Progress Rate (Full-time, First Time in College students)
Percentage of FTIC students who started in the fall (or summer continuing into fall) term and enrolled full-time in their first semester and still enrolled in the same institution during the next fall term with a grade point average of at least 2.0.
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 89.1 | 89.5 | 89.5 |
| Approved Goal | 91.0 | 92.0 | 92.0 |
Percentage of Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
Percentage of baccalaureate degrees awarded within the programs designated by the FLBOG as ‘strategic emphasis’.
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 44.4 | 43.8 | 46.2 |
| Approved Goal | - | - | 45 |
Note: Programs of Strategic Emphasis are defined by the FLBOG. In 2024-25, the FLBOG implemented a new listing; therefore, prior-year goals are not included because they were tied to a different program list. Outcomes in the table reflect the revised list for all years presented.
Percentage of Graduate Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
Percentage of graduate degrees awarded within the programs designated by the FLBOG as ‘strategic emphasis’.
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 56.6 | 57.8 | 56.7 |
| Approved Goal | - | - | 55.0 |
Note: Programs of Strategic Emphasis are defined by the FLBOG. In 2024-25, the FLBOG implemented a new listing; therefore, prior-year goals are not included because they were tied to a different program list. Outcomes in the table reflect the revised list for all years presented.
Percent of Bachelor’s Graduates Enrolled or Employed ($40,000+)
Percentage of a graduating class of bachelor’s degrees recipients who are found enrolled or employed (earning at least $40,000) somewhere in the United States.
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 71.6 | 72.9 | 74.1 |
| Approved Goal | 68.0 | 72.0 | 73.0 |
Professional Licensure and Certification Exam First-Time Pass Rates
The average pass rates of all first-time examinees for professional licensure and certification exams as defined by the FLBOG. Exams applicable to USF include, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Medicine, Pharmacy and Physician’s Assistant.
Nursing
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 95 | 97 | 94 |
| National Benchmark | 90 | 92 | 88 |
| Approved Goal | 96 | 96 | 96 |
Physical Therapy
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 96 | 98 | 100 |
| National Benchmark | 85 | 85 | 87 |
| Approved Goal | - | - | - |
Note: The FLBOG adjusted the metric from a 3-year rolling average to an annual metric, therefore historical goals are not applicable due to the change in methodology.
Medicine (2YR)
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 97 | 99 | 98 |
| National Benchmark | 92 | 91 | 93 |
| Approved Goal | 99 | 99 | 99 |
Medicine (4YR-Clinical Knowledge)
| 2022-23 | 2023-23 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 99 | 100 | 100 |
| National Benchmark | 98 | 98 | 98 |
| Approved Goal | 99 | 99 | 99 |
Pharmacy
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 81 | 79 | 88 |
| National Benchmark | 79 | 78 | 87 |
| Approved Goal | 91 | 91 | 91 |
Physician’s Assistant
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 96 | 98 | 100 |
| National Benchmark | 92 | 92 | 91 |
| Approved Goal | - | - | - |
Note: The FLBOG included this licensure exam in the 2026 Accountability Plan, therefore historical goals are not included.