Located in Southwest Florida, between the Florida Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico, we offer an exceptional learning environment. Half of our 800 acres are preserved or restored in nature. Our campus and region serve as a living laboratory where life-enhancing discoveries are made. We are an incubator for entrepreneurs who fuel economic development and a cultural resource that enriches life on and around campus. Our sports teams energize the entire region. Inspiring those who inspire others — that is, The FGCU Effect.
Florida Gulf Coast University will achieve national prominence in offering exceptional value in high-quality educational programs that address regional and statewide needs. Our programs, firmly grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, will employ emerging instructional technologies. Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit, graduates will be well prepared for productive lives as civically engaged and environmentally conscious citizens with successful careers, ready to pursue further education.
Florida Gulf Coast University, a comprehensive institution of higher education, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs of strategic importance to Southwest Florida and beyond. FGCU seeks academic excellence in developing selected programs and centers of distinction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, health professions, business, and marine and environmental sciences. Outstanding faculty and staff supported by a strong community of advisors prepare students for gainful employment and successful lives as responsible, productive, and engaged citizens. FGCU emphasizes innovative, student-centered teaching and learning, promotes and practices environmental sustainability, embraces diversity, nurtures community partnerships, values public service, encourages civic responsibility, and cultivates habits of lifelong learning and the discovery of new knowledge.
Our dedicated faculty and staff and 22:1 student-to-faculty ratio ensure a more personal education experience in a state-of-the-art setting. Professors know their students by name. Even undergraduates often get the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research.
We are one of the most innovative and collaborative universities in the country. Our six colleges offer 57 undergraduate degrees, 25 master's degrees, four doctorates, and 11 certificates. Meaningful discoveries take place in the living laboratory that is Southwest Florida. Work side by side with professors on research, clinical studies, and scholarly activities that often turn into published works.
FGCU opened in 1997, well into the digital era. Our online accredited courses and undergraduate and graduate degree programs are well established to meet your needs from a distance. Everyone deserves an opportunity for higher education. From middle-schoolers to undergrads, we have programs that inspire and assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds on the path to a degree.
Learning should be a lifelong pursuit. From professional development and training to personal enrichment, we serve thousands of Southwest Florida residents each year. It is no secret that using the library contributes to student learning and success. Whether in person or virtual, we can help. Explore information, connect with fellow students, and talk with librarians: the library research experts.
We know how important and complicated choosing a college is, so we are pleased you’re considering Florida Gulf Coast University. Our student-to-faculty ratio guarantees that you will get an education with a personal touch. Our dedication to student success ensures you will have the tools and guidance to complete your degree on time and budget. That is all part of The FGCU Effect, and it starts with the application process.
FGCU offers 25 master’s degrees, four doctoral degrees, and 11 graduate certificates. Our most recent addition is U.A.Whitaker College of Engineering’s Master of Science in Engineering (MSE), a 30-credit-hour program emphasizing environmental engineering and renewable energy engineering. Florida Gulf Coast University’s comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs prepare students to excel and innovate. Our students, alumni, faculty, and staff are actively engaged and environmentally conscious citizens. They serve their communities and inspire others by leading, doing, and making a difference.
Faculty members represent a diverse collection of scholars and researchers with a strong commitment to teaching and service. Unlike most universities, we do not have a tenure system, so faculty members work on multi-year contracts. Moreover, because the university is relatively young, it tends to attract professors with entrepreneurial spirits, excited by the prospect of creating new programs and initiatives that benefit students and the community.
The history of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a visionary one built on support for providing higher education opportunities in Southwest Florida. Area citizens began the initiative to bring a state university to this part of Florida. Their early requests were quickly supported by elected officials at the local and state levels.
The former Florida Board of Regents formally recommended in January 1991 the development of Florida’s 10th state university is located in Southwest Florida. In May 1991, then Governor Lawton Chiles signed the legislation authorizing the new university. Southwest Florida’s support for a university was never more evident than during the next year when private landowners offered more than 20 gift sites for the university campus. In early 1992, the Board of Regents selected the site offered by Ben Hill Griffin III and Alico, Inc. of 760 acres of land located just east of Interstate 75 between Alico and Corkscrew Roads.
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