USF is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities, a distinction attained by only 2.2 percent of all universities. A designated "Preeminent State Research University," USF is one of the nation’s top public research universities and one of 49 public research universities nationwide classified as both a Doctoral University with "Highest Research Activity" and as a "Community Engaged" institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The USF System has an annual budget of $1.7 billion, an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion, and serves 50,000 students in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee. USF ranks #14 in student success among 1,100 public research and doctoral universities according to the 2017 Eduventures Student Success Ratings. USF Tampa ranks among the top tier of colleges listed in the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2018, ranking in the top 100 of best public national universities.
USF has numerous research and health care partnerships through affiliation agreements with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Bay Pines Veterans Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, All Children's Hospital and Bayfront Medical Center, Shriner's Children's Hospital, Florida Hospital, the Johnnie B. Byrd and the Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute. Throughout the university's development, the faculty at USF have identified and satisfied needs on a local, national and global scale. A variety of activities in such areas as health care, neuroscience, transportation, biodefense, education and engineering are conducted by specialized research and development centers and institutes. The university currently has over 100 such centers and institutes – many of which function in an interdisciplinary fashion, enabling coordination of projects across colleges.
The College of Behavioral and Community Sciences is focused on multidisciplinary collaborations, a strong research continuum – with depth and breadth in areas from basic behavioral science to clinical and services interventions to community-partnered participatory approaches and policy analysis – and implementation of evidence-based and best practices within human service systems. The College serves more than 2,600 students with six undergraduate, nine master's, and five doctoral programs housed in seven academic departments/schools. The College is the home of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Institute, one of the largest behavioral health research and training institutes in the country as well as 19 specialized Research Centers and Institutes.
The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute is a unique resource for Florida. It was created over 40 years ago by the Florida Legislature to expand our knowledge about how best to serve the mental health needs of Florida's citizens. As the state and the nation's systems of health care, social service, civil and criminal justice continue to change, the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy is uniquely positioned to address the parallel changes in research and training needs. Our faculty conduct research on critical and emerging issues surrounding the funding, delivery, and outcomes of public behavioral health services as well as issues arising in public health and civil and criminal justice systems. MHLP's Behavioral Healthcare Major is a unique program focused on preparing students to work in the field of behavioral health.