Quad

Head-to-head

Florida Gulf Coast
U. West Florida

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. West Florida's grants cover 33% of its full price on average, vs. 19% at Florida Gulf Coast

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. West Florida costs about $5.3K less per year on average than Florida Gulf Coast ($16,589 vs. $21,884, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Florida Gulf Coast is more diverse (index 0.66 vs. 0.60)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Florida Gulf Coast grads earn $5.4K more ten years out than U. West Florida's ($54,560 vs. $49,137)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Florida Gulf Coast is a bit larger (13,874 vs. 9,330)

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    U. West Florida's yield is 5 pts higher than Florida Gulf Coast's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. West Florida admits 58%, Florida Gulf Coast 63%; U. West Florida's yield is higher, at 26%.

Acceptance rate
Florida Gulf Coast63%
U. West Florida58%
Quad's selectivity
  • Florida Gulf CoastAccessiblefrom FloridaSelectivefrom other states
  • U. West FloridaSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Florida Gulf Coast
1040–1200
U. West Florida
1020–1230
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Florida Gulf CoastRigor, GPA, and tests very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. West FloridaGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Florida Gulf Coast is a bit larger than U. West Florida (13,874 vs. 9,330 undergrads); U. West Florida has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Florida Gulf Coast13.9K
U. West Florida9.3K
Pell Grant share
Florida Gulf Coast28%
U. West Florida33%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Florida Gulf Coast, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at U. West Florida.

Students per faculty member
Florida Gulf Coast20 to 1
U. West Florida22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Florida Gulf CoastPsychology, General10%
  • U. West FloridaRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse13%

What each costs

U. West Florida costs about $5.3K less a year than Florida Gulf Coast on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Florida Gulf Coast$21.9K
U. West Florida$16.6K
Aid generosity
Florida Gulf Coast19%
U. West Florida33%

What each pays off

Florida Gulf Coast's former students earn more, a median $54.6K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Florida Gulf Coast$54.6K
U. West Florida$49.1K
Graduation rate
Florida Gulf Coast63%
U. West Florida61%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Florida Gulf Coast but held steady at U. West Florida; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Florida Gulf CoastGrowing+48%
  • U. West FloridaSteady+2%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Florida Gulf Coast University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;Florida Gulf Coast University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why