The University of South Florida is among the nation's top 63 public research universities, is one of 39 community-engaged

public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and placed among the nation’s top 20 "up and coming universities" in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings. USF is one of Florida's top three research universities. The University was awarded $366 million in research contracts and grants last year. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the MD degree. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 45,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. Additional information about the university, campus, and surrounding area can be found at http://www.usf.edu/About-USF/.