| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public four-year university in the State University System of Florida; not a trade school. Campus-based, with eight fully online graduate programs |
| Campus | 1: Fort Myers, FL |
| Credentials | Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and academic certificates; no associate degrees, diplomas or vocational certificates |
| Programs | 66 undergraduate degrees, 29 master’s, 7 doctoral programs and 23 academic certificates |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), reaffirmed December 2025 |
| Federal aid | Yes; 71% of students receive financial aid |
| 2026-27 cost | Undergraduate $203.94 per credit (Florida residents), $933.95 (non-residents), tuition and fees, pending final Board of Trustees approval |
| Students | About 16,000 degree-seeking students (fall 2025) |
| Founded | Established by law in 1991; opened for classes in 1997 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
FGCU: a public university in Fort Myers with career-focused health and construction degrees
Florida Gulf Coast University is one of the 12 public universities in the State University System of Florida, governed by its own Board of Trustees under the Florida Board of Governors. It was established by the Legislature in 1991 and opened for classes in 1997. In fall 2025 it had about 16,000 degree-seeking students, according to its accountability plan filed with the Board of Governors.
FGCU is a four-year university, not a trade school. Most of its degrees are academic bachelor’s degrees, and it offers no associate degrees, diplomas or short vocational certificates. This page covers the degrees that lead directly to a licence or a specific job: nursing, physical therapy and other health professions, construction management and exercise science. Classes meet on one campus in Fort Myers.
Career-focused degrees at FGCU
FGCU lists 66 undergraduate degrees, 29 master’s, 7 doctoral programs and 23 academic certificates. The table shows the programs that prepare students for a licence exam or a named occupation. Undergraduate and graduate rates are in the cost section below.
| Program | Credential | Length / schedule | Delivery | Accreditation / exam | 2026-27 rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | BSN, 121 credits | Traditional: 5 or 6 semesters; ABSN: 4 semesters from a summer start | Full-time, in person; clinicals in a five-county region | CCNE; NCLEX-RN | Undergraduate |
| Nursing: Nurse Educator | MSN, 38 credits | Full- or part-time | Face-to-face, online and hybrid courses | CCNE | Graduate |
| Nursing Leadership & Management | MSN, 34 credits, 240 practicum hours | Full- or part-time | Not stated; not fully online | CCNE; needs an RN licence and 1 year of practice | Graduate |
| Nurse practitioner, nurse anesthesiology | DNP (BSN to DNP or MSN to DNP) | – | Fort Myers | CCNE; COA (anesthesiology) | Graduate |
| Physical Therapy | DPT, 115 credits | 3 years, fall start | In person | CAPTE; NPTE (physical therapist, not assistant) | Graduate, plus program fees |
| Physician Assistant Studies | MPAS | – | Fort Myers | ARC-PA (Accreditation-Continued); PANCE | Graduate |
| Occupational Therapy | MS | – | Fort Myers | ACOTE; NBCOT (occupational therapist, not assistant) | Graduate |
| Clinical Laboratory Science | BS; related certificates | – | Fort Myers | NAACLS | Undergraduate |
| Construction Management | BSCM, 120+ credits | – | Fort Myers | ACCE; OSHA 30-hour card included | Undergraduate |
| Exercise Science | BS, 120 credits | Upper division in 5 semesters, fall cohort | In person, with a year of off-campus rotations | CAAHEP; NSCA-CPT, NSCA-CSCS, ACSM exams | Undergraduate |
| Health Administration | BS, 120 credits | Includes a 120-hour internship | Upper-division courses fully online | – | Undergraduate |
Several of these programs train at a higher level than their trade-school counterparts. The DPT trains physical therapists and the MS in Occupational Therapy trains occupational therapists; FGCU has no physical therapist assistant or occupational therapy assistant program. The nursing BSN is a pre-licensure degree, and there is no RN-to-BSN track for nurses who already hold a licence. Only eight programs are fully online, all of them graduate degrees in business and education. FGCU also teaches academic degrees in business, computing, criminal justice, communication and hospitality, which are not covered here.
What the main programs cover
Nursing BSN
Students spend roughly their first 60 credits in pre-nursing coursework, then apply to the limited-access upper division with a 3.0 GPA, the TEAS and a NursingCAS application (deadlines 1 February for fall and 15 May for spring). Clinical courses cover adult health, gerontological, child, mental and reproductive health, community and public health, and a senior practicum. The traditional pathway starts in fall (five semesters, including summer) or spring (six); the accelerated ABSN starts each summer and runs four consecutive semesters. Travel to clinical sites is mandatory.
MSN tracks
Nurse Educator is 38 credits, including a capstone and educator practice, and mixes face-to-face, online and hybrid courses; students can study full- or part-time. Nursing Leadership & Management is 34 credits with 240 practicum hours and admits nurses who hold an RN licence and have at least a year of practice. Nurses aiming for an advanced-practice role take the separate BSN-to-DNP instead, with family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesiology tracks, or a post-graduate certificate.
Doctor of Physical Therapy
The DPT is a 115-credit, three-year doctorate taught in person, with one cohort starting each fall; the priority application deadline is 15 November. It prepares students for the National Physical Therapy Examination and a physical therapist licence. FGCU also offers a Transitional DPT. Students cover their own background check, CPR and first aid certification, clinical attire and professional association dues on top of tuition. Students who want to become physical therapist assistants need a different program, since FGCU does not offer one.
Construction Management
The BSCM requires at least 120 credits and is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education. It is a management degree, not training in a building trade. An OSHA 30-hour card is part of the program. Two courses, BCN 3590 Sustainable Approach to Construction and BCN 4787 Construction Capstone, must be taken at FGCU, so transfer students cannot bring them in. FGCU’s program page says about 85% of students receive job offers before graduation, without giving a year.
Exercise Science
This 120-credit bachelor’s is lab-based. Students apply by 1 February of their sophomore year, join a fall cohort and complete the upper division in five semesters. The program includes a year of experiential learning, with full-time rotations at off-campus sites. The program is recognized by the NSCA Education Recognition Program, and graduates are eligible for the NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and ACSM exams.
Tuition for 2026-27 and how students pay
FGCU’s 2026-27 rates are per credit and include mandatory fees, according to its tuition and fee schedule. FGCU’s cost-of-attendance page, linked below, says its 2026-27 figures are estimated and subject to final approval by the FGCU Board of Trustees.
| 2026-27, per credit, tuition and fees | Florida resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $203.94 | $933.95 |
| Graduate | $373.38 | $1,439.75 |
| Undergraduate, 30 credits a year | $6,118 | $28,019 |
| Cost of attendance, living on campus (30 credits) | $25,196 | $47,097 |
Resident undergraduate tuition and fees are unchanged from 2025-26, while the non-resident figure for 30 credits rose from $25,162 to $28,019, about 11%, according to FGCU’s cost of attendance. Living off campus raises the full budget to $27,095 for residents and $48,996 for non-residents. The Doctor of Physical Therapy adds a $340 program fee, $150 for attire, $125 for a background check and $90 a year in professional dues. The fully online MBA costs from $12,322 for 33 credits, with an out-of-state tuition waiver.
FGCU takes federal student aid, and it says 71% of students receive financial aid and 33% receive merit scholarships. Florida Prepaid plans and tuition waivers are handled by Student Account Services.
Admission and schedules
New students in FGCU’s latest Fast Facts had an average SAT score of 1109 and an average GPA of 4.12. The career programs then add their own entry steps. Nursing is limited access after the pre-nursing coursework, with the next traditional intake in fall 2027 and the next accelerated intake in summer 2027. Exercise Science takes applications from sophomores by 1 February, and the DPT admits one class each fall. Student-to-faculty ratio is 19:1.
Accreditation and outcomes
FGCU is accredited by The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), which reaffirmed its accreditation in December 2025, as FGCU states on its accreditation page. FGCU’s Fast Facts counts 16 other professional accreditors. Those behind the programs above are CCNE (BSN, MSN and DNP), COA (nurse anesthesiology), CAPTE (DPT), ARC-PA (physician assistant), ACOTE (occupational therapy), NAACLS (clinical laboratory science) and ACCE (construction management); the Exercise Science page lists CAAHEP.
The pass, graduation and earnings figures below come from FGCU’s 2026 accountability plan for the Florida Board of Governors.
| Measure | Result | Cohort or year |
|---|---|---|
| BSN, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 99% | 2025 |
| BSN, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 100% | 2024 and 2023 |
| Doctor of Physical Therapy, first-time NPTE pass rate | 100% | 2025 |
| Physician assistant, first-time PANCE pass rate | 89% | 2025 |
| Four-year graduation rate, first-time-in-college students | 46.4% | 2021-25 cohort |
| Second-year retention (GPA 2.0 or higher) | 83.6% | 2024-25 |
| Bachelor’s graduates employed at $40,000+ or enrolled, one year out | 72.6% | 2023-24 graduates |
| Median wage of full-time employed bachelor’s graduates | $50,800 | 2023-24 graduates |
The DPT program also reports its own outcomes: a 93.3% graduation rate and 100% employment for the class of 2025-2026, according to its program page.
Before you enroll
- FGCU is a four-year university. There are no associate degrees, diplomas or short vocational certificates, so the quickest route into nursing or construction here is a bachelor’s degree.
- The DPT and the MS in Occupational Therapy are graduate degrees for therapists. Students looking for physical therapist assistant or occupational therapy assistant training need another school.
- Nursing admission is limited access and takes about 60 credits of pre-nursing work first; the next intakes listed are fall 2027 and summer 2027.
- Out-of-state students pay $933.95 per credit for undergraduate courses in 2026-27, more than four times the resident rate, and the non-resident total rose about 11% from 2025-26.
- FGCU designs its licensure programs for Florida licensure. Students planning to work in another state should check that state’s requirements before enrolling.
One campus in Fort Myers
All degree programs are taught on the main campus at 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers, FL 33965, which covers about 800 acres in south Lee County. The university also uses other sites that it does not list as campuses: the Herald Court Centre in Punta Gorda (continuing education), a Naples site and the Everglades Wetland Research Park (research), the Vester Marine and Environmental Science Research Field Station in Bonita Springs, and the Buckingham property in east Lee County.
Housing and campus life
FGCU has on-campus housing; its 2026-27 food and housing budget for students living on campus is $12,320. The university lists more than 160 student organizations, over 30 club sports and 26 fraternities and sororities. Nursing clinicals, the Exercise Science rotations and the Health Administration internship give students work experience before graduation.
What students say
On Niche, Florida Gulf Coast University is rated 3.9 out of 5 from 2,812 reviews, with an overall grade of B (checked 12 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise the nature-focused campus, small classes with approachable professors, and an active campus life. The most common complaints are crowding and high demand for housing, required classes that fill quickly at registration, and inconsistent academic advising. The reviews cover the whole university rather than the career programs on this page, and we did not check whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Nursing BSN (traditional and accelerated ABSN)
- MSN: Nurse Educator
- MSN: Nursing Leadership & Management
- Nurse Practitioner (BSN to DNP: Family, Psychiatric Mental Health)
- Nurse Anesthesiology (DNP)
- Post-graduate nurse practitioner and nurse educator certificates
Rehabilitation and Health Professions
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
- Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
- Occupational Therapy (MS)
- Exercise Science (BS)
- Clinical Laboratory Science (BS)
- Health Administration (BS, online upper division)
Construction
- Construction Management (BSCM)
Education and Social Work
- Early Childhood Education (BA)
- Elementary Education (BA)
- Special Education (BA)
- Social Work (BSW, MSW)
Business (career-specific)
- PGA Golf Management (BS)
Campus Locations
Fort Myers, FL 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers, FL 33965