The USF St. Petersburg campus is where discovery shines
Situated on 52 sunny acres of waterfront in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, our close-knit campus offers an intimate experience with the benefits of attending a large institution.
Along with small class sizes and ample opportunities for engagement with faculty and peers, our students enjoy membership in a top-50 public university, including state-of-the-art facilities, unique academic experiences, American Athletic Conference athletics and an expansive alumni network. USF was also recently invited to join the Association of American Universities or AAU, a prestigious group of the leading universities in the United States and Canada.
Come find out why USF St. Petersburg is right for you.
Extraordinary Education
We’re driven by student success. USF St. Petersburg offers a wide range of affordable majors, minors, graduate degrees and certificate programs to meet individual needs. In addition to traditional programs in the liberal arts, sciences, business and education, students can pursue specialized programs in disciplines such as sustainability, digital journalism, brewing arts and more.
Our dedicated faculty are experts in their fields who are committed to innovative research and providing extraordinary educational experiences. For those interested in traveling the globe, we offer a broad array of study abroad opportunities through USF World. Closer to home, our students board research vessels to explore the Gulf of Mexico, produce podcasts in conjunction with award-winning journalists from the Tampa Bay Times and dig for fossils on Weedon Island.
In addition, USF received $24 million from the state of Florida in 2023 to launch construction on the Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences (EOS) Research and Teaching Facility on the St. Petersburg campus. This state-of-the-art facility will be a global hub for students and faculty focusing on the need to prepare for, and respond to, natural hazards including hurricanes, storm surge, sea level rise, high-tide flooding and extreme rainfall events.
Hands-on Experience
Students at USF St. Petersburg don’t just sit on the sidelines. They are actively involved in research, job-shadowing and internship programs that enhance their academic experience and enrich the surrounding community. Many undergraduates get the chance to co-author journal articles with professors in fields ranging from biology to business, a rare opportunity that positions those students well for future job placement, fellowships or admission to graduate school.
First-year students can participate in a job-shadowing program called Innovation Scholars, which matches them with mentors from businesses in downtown St. Petersburg. Participants include the Dali Museum, city of St. Petersburg, Raymond James Financial, BayCare Health System, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and more. This exciting program aids students as they select a major and career path and has drawn praise from both mentors and mentees.
Vibrant Campus Life
Nestled on a calm harbor in Tampa Bay, our impressive waterfront location is ideal for water sports and recreation. Students have access to a well-equipped boat dock where they can use kayaks, paddleboards and sailboats free of charge. Each semester, Campus Recreation staff offer sailing, motoring and watercraft-safety lessons. While our nationally prominent women’s sailing team and co-ed sailing club benefit from year-round training in Tampa Bay via campus waters.
Other on-campus amenities include a lap pool, pickleball court, fitness gym, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts and soccer field.
There are a number of ways to get involved and a variety of activities and clubs to choose from. Precocious puppies are a common site on campus at USF St. Petersburg, where students in the Puppy Raisers Club help foster future guide and therapy dogs.
We are also dedicated to providing our military, military families and student veterans with the support they need to excel academically and professionally. We created the Military and Veterans Success Center on campus to offer a sense of community and a one-stop shop to access important resources.
Engaging Events and Traditions
As members of the USF St. Petersburg community, students have the chance to participate in events and traditions that make for memorable and engaging college experiences. Perhaps our most memorable is the cardboard boat race during Homecoming Week, where students, faculty and staff design and build their own boats, then race one another around Bayboro Harbor. The entire campus community comes out to cheer their teams to victory (or watch their vessel sink).
Our students learn the campus dance, the Petey Shuffle, which they perform at different events. And at graduation time, we celebrate graduates and their guests with Sailebration, a sunset dinner cruise through Tampa Bay. The event includes games, karaoke, a DJ and lots more!
