# Florida Gulf Coast University

> university in Lee County, Florida

**Wikidata**: [Q1430054](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1430054)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Gulf_Coast_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/florida-gulf-coast-university

## Summary
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university located in Lee County, Florida, within the United States. Founded in 1991, it serves as part of the State University System of Florida, offering higher education to over 15,000 students. The institution is recognized for its "Florida Gulf Coast Eagles" athletics program and operates on a semester-based academic calendar from its campus in Fort Myers.

## Key Facts
- **Location:** 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers, FL, 33965-6565 (Lee County).
- **Founded:** 1991.
- **Type:** Public educational institution; part of the State University System of Florida.
- **Enrollment:** 15,358 students (as of September 2020).
- **Staff:** 1,726 employees (as of September 2020).
- **Admission:** Acceptance rate of 0.77 (77%) with an admission yield rate of 0.22 (22%) as of 2020.
- **Athletics:** Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
- **Academic Calendar:** Semester system.
- **Carnegie Classification:** Master's colleges and universities with larger programs; classified as "very high undergraduate" and "four-year, large, primarily residential."

## FAQs
### Q: Where is Florida Gulf Coast University located?
A: The university is located at 10501 FGCU Blvd S in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida. Its geographic coordinates are latitude 26.4625 and longitude -81.7729.

### Q: Is Florida Gulf Coast University a public or private school?
A: It is a public educational institution and a member of the State University System of Florida.

### Q: How hard is it to get into Florida Gulf Coast University?
A: As of 2020, the university had an admission rate of 77%, indicating a somewhat selective but accessible admissions process for applicants.

## Why It Matters
Florida Gulf Coast University plays a significant role in the higher education landscape of Southwest Florida. Established in 1991, it fills a crucial geographic and academic niche in Lee County, providing access to four-year degrees and graduate programs in a region that required expanded educational infrastructure. As a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, it contributes to the public good by serving a large student body of over 15,000 individuals, supported by a workforce of over 1,700 employees.

The university matters not just as an educational facility but also as a distinct community entity. It is officially recognized as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau, highlighting the self-contained nature of its campus infrastructure. Its Carnegie Classification as a "Master's College and University" with larger programs indicates a commitment to advanced research and comprehensive undergraduate education, moving beyond the scope of a purely liberal arts college. Furthermore, its integration into national and international academic networks—such as the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and ORCID—demonstrates its active participation in the global scholarly community.

## Notable For
- **Census-Designated Place:** The university campus is distinct enough to be classified as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau, with a recorded population of 3,659 during the 2020 Census.
- **Athletics Identity:** Competes athletically as the **Florida Gulf Coast Eagles**.
- **High Undergraduate Focus:** Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as having "very high undergraduate" enrollment characteristics.
- **Digital Theses Library:** An early or active member of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), promoting open access to scholarly research.
- **Environmental Context:** Situated in Lee County, Florida, implying a specific regional focus on Gulf Coast environmental and marine issues (inferred from location/name data).

## Body

### Location and Campus
Florida Gulf Coast University is situated in Lee County, Florida, with its headquarters and main campus located at **10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565**. The precise geographic coordinates are 26.4625° N, 81.7729° W. The campus is integrated into the Fort Myers metropolitan area but maintains a distinct identity, legally and geographically recognized as a census-designated place (CDP). According to the 2020 United States Census, the campus area has a recorded population of 3,659.

### Organizational Structure and History
Incepted in **1991**, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public entity operating under the parent organization of the **State University System of Florida**. The institution holds a specific legal form identified in wikibase as Q130264548. It maintains a digital presence through its domain **fgcu.edu** and operates a Shibboleth API endpoint for identity management.

### Academics and Enrollment
The university follows a **semester**-based academic calendar. As of September 2020, the student body consisted of **15,358 students**. The institution employs **1,726 staff members** (as of Sept 2020).
*   **Carnegie Classifications:**
    *   Master's Colleges and Universities: Larger Programs
    *   Research Doctoral: Single program - Education
    *   Balanced Arts & Sciences/Professions, some graduate coexistence
    *   Four-year, medium full-time, selective, higher transfer-in

### Memberships and Affiliations
FGCU is an active member of several prominent academic and organizational networks, including:
*   ORCID, Inc.
*   Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
*   Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
*   American Council on Education (ACE)
*   Open Education Network
*   American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASC)

### Identifiers and Rankings
The university is tracked by numerous global identifiers, reflecting its standing in academic and public databases.
*   **GRID ID:** grid.255962.f
*   **ISNI:** 0000000106472963
*   **ROR ID:** 05tc5bm31
*   **IPEDS ID:** 433660
*   **Open Funder Registry ID:** 100009880
*   **DOI Prefix:** 10.24049

## References

1. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
2. [Source](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st12_fl/county/c12071_lee/DC20BLK_C12071.pdf)
3. Global LEI Index
4. GRID Release 2017-01-10
5. [Source](https://orcid.org/members/001G000001uOT34IAG-florida-gulf-coast-university)
6. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240113101838/https://ndltd.org/membership/list-of-members/)
7. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240120073011/https://secure.aacu.org/iMIS/AACUR/Membership/MemberListAACU.aspx)
8. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240120080233/https://acememberdirectory.azurewebsites.net/)
9. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240202185017/https://open.umn.edu/oen/members)
10. [Source](https://aascu.org/our-members/)
11. [Source](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/2805175)
12. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
13. [2020 United States Census](https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Populations%20and%20People&g=0100000US,%241600000&y=2020)
14. [2016–2020 American Community Survey](https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Detailed%20Tables)
15. [Source](http://api.crossref.org/members/10136)
16. [Source](http://www.fgcu.edu)
17. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)
18. GRID Release 2015-12-14
19. GRID Release 2016-12-06
20. Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
21. Quora
22. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
23. [Source](https://www.fgcu.edu/)
24. [Source](https://orcid.org/signin)
25. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
26. [Source](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st12_fl/place/p1223005_florida_gulf_coast_university/DC20BLK_P1223005.pdf)
27. National Center for Education Statistics
28. [2016–2020 American Community Survey](https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Income%20and%20Poverty&g=0100000US,%241600000&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S1902)
29. [Internet Domains Wikibase](https://domains.wikibase.cloud/entity/Q120993)