Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts. The university is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, creative endeavors, and service. The university strives to instill the strength, skill, and character essential for lifelong learning, personal responsibility, and sustained achievement within a community that fosters free inquiry and embraces diversity. The FSU experience is a unique blend that gives students the best of both worlds -- the active, personal and residential feel of a much smaller college merged with the academic power of a large, preeminent research university having the highest doctoral research classification. Our students are highly engaged in leadership, community service, entrepreneurship, study abroad, undergraduate research, or any of 700 student organizations. Florida State is a destination campus, and it shows. Most of our students come from great distances to the state capital for the opportunity to join our community. The campus is student centered as evidenced by a 4-year graduation rate that is the highest in Florida and among the nation's top 10. When you combine our student success with our relatively low costs, you see why we often are rated as one of the top educational values in the United States. Our 17 colleges offer more than 340 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees and cover a broad array of disciplines critical to society today. With many rated among the country's best, we stand firmly among the nation's top public universities, reflected in a meteoric rise in national rankings. Led by our distinguished faculty, which has included six Nobel laureates and numerous eminent scholars in many areas of the arts and sciences, our academic programs continue to receive major recognition for their overall strength. Our excellence also shines beyond traditional academic settings. In 2019, FSU became the first public research university in America to require experiential learning, or "learning by doing." Our international programs are unparalleled with more than 60 programs in over 20 locations. Our students supplement their academic pursuits each year with hundreds of thousands of hours of community service outside of the classroom. In immeasurable ways, this University reaches out to our community, region, state, and nation. Our Honors Programs, Office of National Fellowships, Office of Undergraduate Research, and Student Veterans Center are just a few of the programs that show our strong commitment to help our more than 30,000 undergraduates reach their highest academic goals. To provide further support for student success, the University's Garnet and Gold Scholar Society program awards undergraduates a credential affirming their leadership, professional, citizenship, and/or research skills while building collaborative relationships in the academic, local, or global community. With a dedicated faculty and staff, a commitment to strong undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for the marketplace, and a research agenda that contributes to our world economy and quality of life, Florida State University is a leader in higher education.