Here's why student admission to USF is getting more competitive

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in students interested in attending the University of South Florida.And that has made acceptance to the university more competitive. Enrollment is up 9.3% from last year, making the 2030 class USF's largest in five years.These students also had the highest average grade-point average in university history at 4.29, said Stephanie Harff, USF associate vice president of strategic enrollment management.That includes 7,393 new undergraduate students with an average SAT score of 1328, and 83 National Merit Scholars. Why USF? "Students are choosing USF because we offer tremendous value," Harff told "Florida Matters Live Local" host Matthew Peddie. "It's an affordable institution that offers an excellent top-tier public research university education, and so we are seeing an increase in the number of students who are interested in applying to USF every year," she added. As more people learn about USF and see what the university has to offer, it