Fort Myers, Florida · Public university
Tuition, acceptance rate, scholarships with conservative numbers and the admission process step by step — in dollars and Brazilian reais — updated 2026-09-15. Este guia em português →
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Profile
The figures below come from the US Department of Education's public databases and from Florida Gulf Coast University's own Common Data Set. They let you gauge the size of the institution, the real level of competition and the odds of finishing on time.
Admission
Florida Gulf Coast University admits 63% of applicants, according to College Navigator, the US Department of Education's public database.
The middle half of admitted students scored between 1050 and 1200 on the SAT and between 20 and 25 on the ACT. The average high-school GPA of admitted students is 4.12; the published minimum for international applicants is 2.8.
In practice, for a Brazilian applicant: a converted transcript near the average GPA and an SAT inside the range put you in the typical admitted group. Below that, admission is still possible, but merit aid gets harder.
Costs
Tuition at Florida Gulf Coast University for international students is $28,019 a year. With housing, meals and health insurance the estimated total is $44,141 — about R$ 227,768 at R$ 5.16 to the dollar (2026-08-15), verified on 2026-09-15.
| Item | Annual estimate (USD) | Approx. in R$ |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition (out of state) | $28,019 | R$ 144,578 |
| Housing and meals | $12,320 | R$ 63,571 |
| Health insurance | $3,802 | R$ 19,618 |
| Estimated total | $44,141 | R$ 227,768 |
Estimates for 2026–2027, verified on 2026-09-15. Converted at R$ 5.16 to the dollar (2026-08-15). Books, transport and course fees vary.
Scholarships
| Scholarship | Amount per year | Criteria | Renewable | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-State Waiver (undergraduate admissions) | $10,500 | Students classified as non-Florida residents; 3.4 transfer GPA; priority to newly admitted transfers; covers the out-of-state/in-state tuition difference on 9 credits per semester (fall and spring), up to 2 years. | Yes | April 1 (fall) / October 1 (spring) |
Merit scholarships: students have received between 0% and 25% of tuition (conservative estimate, 2026–2027; verified on 2026-09-15). Typical conditions: Moderate merit aid; FGCU Foundation funds only (the Blue & Green awards require U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status). The real amount depends on your profile — we never promise percentages.
Our rule is simple: we would rather you plan with conservative numbers and be surprised for the better — never the other way round. Studying in the United States is not free for anyone.
International aid
Only awards the university itself describes are listed, with the requirements it publishes. Where the official page does not say whether international students may apply, the table says "not stated" — ask before counting on the money.
Amount per year: Varies by fund; individual amounts not published (the Foundation awarded 'over $6 million' last year)
Requirements: Admitted or applied freshman with a UIN (ID number issued after applying); one general application covers all funds; donor-set criteria (merit, leadership, need); need-based funds require a FAFSA, which international students cannot file
International: Yes
Renewal: Must reapply every year; award can be cancelled if criteria (GPA, full-time status, major) are no longer met
Deadline: Priority March 1; final deadline May 1 (2026-2027: 'Final Deadline Extended'). The international FAQ still says 'open annually between October 1st and March 1st' with January 1 priority — outdated dates
How to apply: Online form at scholarship.fgcu.edu (Foundation Scholarship Application), after receiving the UIN; no need to wait for admission
Amount per year: Covers the out-of-state/in-state tuition difference, 9 credits per semester, Fall and Spring; page lists $10,500/year up to 2 years in the transfer table
Requirements: Classified as non-Florida resident; priority to newly admitted transfer students with a 3.4 transfer GPA; committee reviews GPA, leadership, civic engagement, talents; three 250-word essays; funding-dependent, 'may not be awarded every term'
International: Not stated
Renewal: Automatic each semester until the first bachelor's: 3.0 cumulative GPA, no semester below 2.75, credit earned in 80% of attempted hours, 12 credits per semester
Deadline: Fall: opens January 6, closes April 1; Spring: opens September 1, closes October 1
How to apply: Separate form (applynow.fgcu.edu/portal/scholarshiptransfer) with UIN and three essays
No. F-1 students have no access to federal or state aid, and the FGCU Foundation's need-based funds require the FAFSA. The only institutional route is the Foundation's merit funds. FGCU requires proof of funds for the full year before issuing the I-20.
Scores
| Requirement | Reference |
|---|---|
| SAT (25th–75th percentile) | 1050 – 1200 |
| ACT (25th–75th percentile) | 20 – 25 |
| Average GPA of admitted students | 4.12 |
| Minimum GPA | 2.8 |
| Minimum TOEFL | 79 |
| Minimum IELTS | 6.5 |
| Minimum Duolingo | 110 |
| SAT/ACT policy | SAT or ACT required |
The ENEM plays no part in the review. The university converts your secondary-school grades onto the American 0 to 4 scale, and that number is what appears as your GPA. Averages between 7 and 8 usually land near 3.0; above 9, near 4.0. The conversion is done either by the university itself or by a credential evaluation service, and the transcript has to be translated by a sworn translator.
Tests
U.S. News publishes the range covering the middle half of admitted students, not an average. Use the range as a gauge of competitiveness (2026 data).
| Item | Reference |
|---|---|
| SAT (25th–75th percentile) | 1040 – 1200 |
| ACT (25th–75th percentile) | 20 – 25 |
| Acceptance rate |
Source: U.S. News & World Report
| Test | Minimum score | Note |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | 79 | 'Internet based test: Minimum 79' (also lists CBT 213 and paper 550, discontinued formats). Legacy 0-120 scale; the new 1-6 TOEFL scale is not mentioned anywhere. Validity: the international admissions page says 'not more than 2 years old' while the FAQ and Application Process say 'within three years' — internal contradiction. Some programs may require a higher-than-minimum score (Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d.1.b). |
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 | 'International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Minimum score: 6.5'. No band minimums stated. Regulation 2.001 lists IELTS as alternative evidence to the TOEFL ('with the approval of the Assistant Vice President for University Admissions and the appropriate Dean'). |
| Duolingo English Test | 110 | 'Duolingo English Test Minimum score: 110' (international admissions page; Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d.2.e; 2026-2027 Catalog 'English Proficiency'). The older international FAQ cites only TOEFL/IELTS. FGCU's IELP requires Duolingo 80 as a prerequisite for its advanced course (not conditional admission to the bachelor's). |
| TOEFL Essentials | not listed | Not listed. Pages checked: International Student Admissions ('Admission Criteria'), International FAQ, Application Process (Step 4), 2026-2027 Catalog ('English Proficiency') and Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d — only TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo appear. |
| PTE Academic | not listed | Not listed. Pages checked: International Student Admissions ('Admission Criteria'), International FAQ, Application Process (Step 4), 2026-2027 Catalog ('English Proficiency') and Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d — only TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo appear. |
| Cambridge English (B2 First / C1 Advanced / C2 Proficiency) | not listed | Not listed. Pages checked: International Student Admissions ('Admission Criteria'), International FAQ, Application Process (Step 4), 2026-2027 Catalog ('English Proficiency') and Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d — only TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo appear. |
| iTEP | not listed | Not listed. Pages checked: International Student Admissions ('Admission Criteria'), International FAQ, Application Process (Step 4), 2026-2027 Catalog ('English Proficiency') and Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d — only TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo appear. |
| ELS | not listed | Not listed. Pages checked: International Student Admissions ('Admission Criteria'), International FAQ, Application Process (Step 4), 2026-2027 Catalog ('English Proficiency') and Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d — only TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo appear. |
| SAT/ACT (English-test waiver) | not listed | No FGCU page accepts an SAT (Reading & Writing) or ACT (English/Reading) score as proof of English proficiency. SAT/ACT/CLT are required of every freshman, but as the admission test, not as a waiver of TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo. |
| English-medium high school (waiver) | 4 years at a U.S. high school, or a country on the English-speaking list | Published exemptions: 'Attended a US high school for 4 years and graduated or earned a degree from a US college or university'; the FAQ adds an AA from a Florida public college, a U.S. bachelor's, a C in English Composition 1 and 2, and citizenship of a country on the 'English Speaking Countries' list (Brazil is not on it). Regulation 2.001 §M.2.d.2.g also allows 'An English Language proficiency assessment by a certified ESL faculty'. A bilingual/international school in Brazil is NOT mentioned as an exemption — a Brazilian needs the test. |
Cambridge English (B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency) appears in the table when the university accepts it. If it is absent, the official page does not list it — do not send a Cambridge certificate in place of the TOEFL without confirming with admissions.
SAT, ACT or CLT is required for every first-year applicant, international included. If the credential evaluation carries no GPA, ACT 21 or SAT 1060 is required. Tests also count for merit awards. Superscoring: not stated. TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo is waived only after four years of U.S. high school, a U.S. college degree or citizenship of a listed English-speaking country (Brazil is not listed).
Is your score below 79 on the TOEFL or 110 on the Duolingo test? That does not end the plan — our live prep courses with a teacher exist to close exactly that gap.
Majors
There are 65 majors, grouped by the school that offers them, each with the degree code the application form uses. Search by name, or filter by school or STEM.
The 23 majors marked STEM qualify for an extra 24 months of work authorisation on top of OPT — up to 36 months working in the United States after graduation. If you plan to stay, that designation matters more than the name of the degree.
65 majors
No major matches that name. Try a broader word, or the degree code.
Graduate
Close to 3.2% of Florida Gulf Coast University's graduate students come from outside the United States. It is a far more international room than the undergraduate one, and that changes the experience: almost everyone beside you also arrived recently.
There are 21 programs open to international students, 6 of them STEM-designated.
| Program | STEM | GRE or GMAT required | Intake |
|---|---|---|---|
| College of Arts & Sciences5 | |||
| Applied Mathematics (M.S.) | STEM | Yes | FSpSu |
| Biology (M.S.) | No | FSpSu | |
| English (M.A.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Forensic Studies (M.S.) | Yes | FSpSu | |
| History (M.A.) | No | FSpSu | |
| College of Education3 | |||
| Curriculum & Instruction (M.Ed.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Educational Leadership (M.A.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Educational Leadership (M.Ed.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship1 | |||
| Entrepreneurship (M.S.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Lutgert College of Business3 | |||
| Business Administration (M.B.A.) | — | FSpSu | |
| Business Analytics (M.B.A.) | STEM | — | FSpSu |
| Data Analytics and AI (M.S.) | STEM | — | FSpSu |
| Marieb College of Health & Human Services5 | |||
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.) | Yes | FSpSu | |
| Nurse Educator (M.S.N.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Nursing Leadership and Management (M.S.N.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Occupational Therapy (M.S.) | No | FSpSu | |
| Physician Assistant Studies (M.P.A.S.) | Yes | FSpSu | |
| The Water School2 | |||
| Environmental Science (M.S.) | STEM | Yes | FSpSu |
| Environmental Studies (M.A.) | STEM | Yes | FSpSu |
| U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering2 | |||
| Civil Engineering (M.S.) | STEM | — | FSpSu |
| Computer Science (M.S.) | — | FSpSu | |
No program matches those filters. Clear one of them.
The STEM designation matters more at master's level than at undergraduate. It allows a request for 24 extra months of OPT on top of the initial 12, which means up to three years working in the United States off a one- or two-year degree.
| Requirement | Reference |
|---|---|
| Minimum TOEFL | 79 |
| Minimum IELTS | 6.5 |
| Minimum Duolingo | 110 |
| Application fee | $30 |
| Minimum full-time load | 9 credit hours per semester |
10 of the programs above waive the GRE and GMAT. The rest require the test, and a waiver is only considered for applicants holding a business degree from an AACSB-accredited institution. Work experience does not count towards a waiver.
Beyond a transcript from every institution you attended, with certified translation, the application asks for a personal statement in English, a professional resume and two reference forms from people who can speak to your academic and professional background. A course-by-course credential evaluation is strongly recommended.
| Intake | Application complete by |
|---|---|
| Fall intake | July 1, 2027 |
| Spring intake | November 1, 2026 |
Deadlines
| Intake | Application deadline | Scholarship deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Fall intake | July 1, 2027 | January 1, 2027 (priority) |
| Spring intake | November 1, 2026 |
Documents
The order below is the order in which Florida Gulf Coast University asks for each item. Start with the first two: they depend on third parties and they are what stalls the process.
Campus
There is no requirement to live on campus in the first year, which opens up sharing an apartment off campus — usually cheaper, with transport left to solve.
City
| Item | Reference |
|---|---|
| One-bedroom rent off campus | $1,316 / month |
| Public transport | LeeTran buses (Lee County): $1.50 a ride, $4 day pass, $15 7-day pass, $40 31-day pass; students pay $25 for the 31-day pass ($12 for 7 days) with a LeeTran student ID issued at the Rosa Parks Transfer Center. Route 60 serves the campus. On campus the Eagle Express shuttle is free between the residence villages and main campus (weekdays, ~7am-10:30pm in fall/spring) and Gulf Coast Town Center runs a free shuttle from SoVi and NLV. A car is still the norm. |
| Nearest airport | Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), about 10 km (6 mi) from campus - FGCU suggests Uber/taxi on arrival; Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Miami (MIA) and Tampa (TPA) are under 3 hours by car and the Red Coach bus links FGCU to Florida's major airports. |
| Distance to Orlando | 263 km |
| Distance to Miami | 228 km |
| Climate | Tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am, 1991-2020 normals): mild winters with January highs near 75 F (24 C), hot humid summers with July-August highs near 92 F (33 C) and near-daily showers June-September (Fort Myers logs 89 thunderstorm days a year, the most in the US); hurricane season June 1-November 30. |
F-1 students may work on campus up to 20 hours a week while classes are in session and full-time (over 20 hours) during holidays and breaks; you must be enrolled full-time and have a Social Security Number before starting; a new student may begin up to 30 days before classes start. Jobs are limited and usually found by word of mouth.
Careers
The median salary of graduates from this university is $59,369 a year, according to the College Scorecard, a US government public database.
On an F-1 visa you can work up to 20 hours a week on campus during term, and full time during breaks.
CPT allows an off-campus internship when it forms part of your program's curriculum, with university authorisation.
OPT gives 12 months of work authorisation in your field after graduation.
STEM-designated programs allow a request for a 24-month extension of OPT — up to 36 months of authorised work in total after graduation.
Immigration rules change — verified on 2026-09-15. Confirm with the university's international student office before making any decision based on this page.
Compare
The universities below are the closest to this one in total cost. Compare before deciding: the tuition gap between two of them is usually larger than any merit scholarship.
| University | Total cost per year | Average SAT | Minimum TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Gulf Coast University (this page) | $44,141 | 1120 | 79 |
| Florida State University | $42,659 | 1300 | 4 (1–6 scale) |
| New College of Florida | $47,005 | 1200 | 4 (1–6 scale) |
| The University of Tampa | $50,124 | 1180 | 4 (1–6 scale) |
FAQ
The estimated total — tuition, housing and health insurance — is $44,141 per year before any scholarship. Books, transport and course fees are not included. We prefer that you plan with this number and be surprised for the better.
TOEFL 79 or higher, or Duolingo 110 or higher. Duolingo policies change often, so we confirm the current rule before you apply. If your score is below the minimum, prep closes that gap before the deadline.
Not always for admission, but almost always for merit scholarships. The admitted average is around 1120. Without an SAT score you can be admitted and pay full price; with a competitive score, the same university can cost much less.
The ENEM plays no part. The university converts the transcript grades to the American 0–4 GPA scale from a sworn translation. Averages between 7 and 8 usually land near 3.0; above 9, near 4.0. The minimum required is 2.8.
The fall entry deadline is July 1, 2027, and spring entry is November 1, 2026. Start 10 to 12 months ahead: transcript translation, English score and proof of funds are the steps that delay applications most.
On an F-1 visa you can work up to 20 hours a week on campus during the term and full time during breaks. After graduation, OPT gives 12 months of work authorization in your field, and STEM majors can request 24 more.
Florida Gulf Coast University admits 63% of applicants. The published minimum GPA for international applicants is 2.8 on the American 0–4 scale — a Brazilian transcript is converted to that scale from a sworn translation. The SAT range and average GPA of admitted students, where the university publishes them, are in the Admission section of this page. Below those marks admission is still possible; what gets harder is merit aid.
$28,019 a year at the out-of-state rate, which is what a Brazilian pays. With housing, meals and health insurance the estimated total is $44,141 — about R$ 227,768 in Brazilian reais at R$ 5.16 to the dollar. Merit scholarships reduce tuition, not the other items.
On estimated total cost per year, Florida Gulf Coast University comes to $44,141 and Florida State University to $42,659. The gap between the two is usually larger than any merit scholarship, so compare total cost before comparing scholarships.
Sources
Every block on this page carries its own verification date. Costs and admission requirements come from the Common Data Set and the official international admissions page. Enrollment, acceptance and graduation figures come from College Navigator, the US Department of Education's public database.
Converted to Brazilian reais at R$ 5.16 to the dollar on 2026-08-15. Exchange rates move; the dollar figures are the reference.
Data verified on 2026-09-15.
Sources: College Scorecard · Common Data Set · College Navigator · Official university site
Next steps
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