Florida International University

The State University System of Florida consists of a number of public colleges located in major cities across the state. During the early 1940s, a local politician saw the need for a new college in the Miami area, but it took him nearly 20 years before he saw his dreams of a new school come true. Florida International University finally opened in the 1960s and quickly became the main choice for Miami students and for students living in other parts of the state. As the popularity of the school grew, it saw its student body diversify to include students from all across the country and students from other countries as well.

FIU received a number of honors over the years and found itself on multiple lists of the nation's top schools. It is nationally ranked by both U.S. News and World Report and Washington Monthly. Times Higher Education also listed it as one of the top 100 schools in the country that are less than 50 years old. Some of its individual programs received recognition as well. Its environmental science, international business, law, nursing and social work programs are all nationally ranked. In more recent years, it received recognition for its online programs too.

Florida International University Accreditation Details

Experts generally recommend that students look for colleges and universities that have regional accreditation rather than national accreditation. National accreditation organizations often give accreditation to most schools that submit an application without looking closely at the school. Regional accreditation organizations delve deeper into the history of the school and the benefits that it offers students. Florida International University has regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The SACSCC awarded accreditation in 1974, which was just a few years after the founding of FIU. It also renewed that accreditation in 1980 and every decade since then.

The Academic Affairs Department on campus works hard to locate and find accreditation for many of the programs available on campus. It frequently sends out new applications to organizations and works with each individual department to meet the needs of that organization. More than 30 of the programs on campus have accreditation. Those taking psychology classes may take a few social work classes as well, and the social work program has accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education and the Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence. FIU also has accreditation for its music, museum studies, law and public health programs.

Florida International University Application Requirements

Florida International University requires that all students meet the minimum requirements determined by the Board of Governors in the state. The Board of Governors asks that all students have a GED or show that they graduated from high school. Students must also show that they took 18 classes designed to students entering college, including courses on math, life sciences, social sciences and English. Florida students must also show on their transcripts that they took at least two classes in a foreign language. Students must also submit their standardized test scores. For admission to FIU, students must receive a minimum score of 1360 on the SAT or 38 on the math and reading sections of the ACT and 18 on the English and writing portion of that test. They will also need to submit official transcripts from their high schools through the mail.

FIU switched from a paper application to an online application to make the process easier for its new students. After creating an account with the website, applicants can check back to see where their application is, if the school finished processing it and if they need to submit any additional details. Students will find out through the online system whether they received acceptance.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Florida International University received recognition as one of the most affordable colleges in the United States. In state tuition starts at around $200 per credit, and students living outside of Florida pay around $610 per credit. Those living on campus are also responsible for paying for fees for using technology on campus, the student health center and the student fitness center. This brings the total cost of attending classes to around $6,000 for Florida residents and around $18,000 for nonresidents. FIU also estimates that those attending classes full time will spend around $1,400 for textbooks and supplies. Online students can expect to pay around the same amount based on whether they live in or out of state.

FIU encourages all potential students to use the FAFSA. Also known as the Free Application for Student Financial Aid, this form tells students which options are available to them and the size of the financial aid package they will receive. This includes parental PLUS loans, subsidized and unsubsidized loans for students, grants, work study opportunities and scholarships. If students qualify for scholarships based on need or merit, FIU will contact them with details about what they need to do next and how to apply for one of those scholarships.

Online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Students entering the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program at Florida State University have the option of completing the program entirely online. Unlike other universities, FSU does not have a residency component, which means that all students can complete their degrees without ever once visiting the campus. Students take an introductory to psychology course during the first semester and take upper level psychology courses at the same time that they finish the general education courses required for graduation. Math, science, history and statistics are all required courses.

Students then pick one course from several components that include clinical and personality psychology, cognitive psychology, applied psychology, developmental psychology and social psychology. Online students can talk with an advisor over the phone or online to ensure they meet the requirements needed to graduate.

FIU requires that all online students complete 12 credit hours of electives within the psychology department and that they take an online seminar. The seminar looks at a specific topic in psychology, including the available careers in the field or recent changes in the field. Florida International University only allows online psychology students to graduate after a professor grades the work they did in the seminar and awards them a grade on their final projects.