Accrediting agency approves University of South Florida consolidation

TAMPA, Fla. (June 12, 2020) – The University of South Florida’s plan to consolidate its three campuses was approved today by the executive council of the regional accrediting agency that oversees higher education in the southern United States.

The decision by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) authorizes a single accreditation for the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota campuses and allows USF to comply with a Florida law passed in 2018 and amended in 2019 that mandates consolidation effective July 1, 2020.

“Today marks an historic milestone for our university,” USF President Steven Currall said.  “Consolidation will provide USF students and faculty on all of our campuses with access to a broader array of opportunities and now every USF student will earn their degree from a Preeminent State Research University. USF is proud to partner with, and serve, communities across the broader Tampa Bay region.”

The university’s next steps will be to document that the consolidated USF complies with SACSCOC’s Principles of Accreditation and to prepare for a site visit by a SACSCOC committee, which is a standard requirement of accreditation. The visit will be conducted later this year or early next year and will include time on all three campuses, the Morsani College of Medicine in downtown Tampa and possibly other off-campus instructional sites.

“Consolidation is an extensive and complex process and we are grateful for the many valuable contributions of faculty, staff and students from each campus as well as other stakeholders from across the Tampa Bay region and the State of Florida,” USF Board of Trustees Chair Jordan Zimmerman said.  “The University of South Florida is on a remarkable upward trajectory and we will be an even stronger institution as our three campuses come together under a single accreditation.”   

More information about USF’s consolidation process is available online.

About the University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF leads the State University System in Performance Based Funding and is designated a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.