The sound of high school seniors cheering and high-fiving was deafening.
This week, thousands got the news that sent them leaping for joy: acceptance to Miami’s public research university. Social media posts captured the euphoria for all to see.
“Early Action” unfolded at 3:05 p.m. on December 11. That is when the FIU Office of Admissions formally made available its first round of decisions for the 2026-2027 academic year. Florida applicants received priority consideration as did high achievers from elsewhere.
“We have received applications from all 50 states,” said Jody Glassman, assistant vice president for Enrollment & University Admissions. “In Florida, we had a 23% increase in applications from Tampa and 25% increase from Orlando. Students from Cypress Bay, Coral Reef, Miami Palmetto and Hialeah Gardens Senior [high schools] along with a few of the Miami area private schools showed a lot of Panther pride and spirit as decisions dropped.”
In addition to Floridians looking to become Panthers, “Students in New York, New Jersey, Texas and Puerto Rico were most anxious about learning their decision,” Glassman said. “More than 600 accessed the portal in the first hour.”
In total, just over 12,000 acceptances were shared through the portal system that allows students to learn their individual fates. With digital confetti flying, those who made the cut then had the chance to accept on the spot or continue to weigh their options until spring.
More than 150 wasted no time in saying ‘yes’ immediately, Glassman reports. Still others waited until later in the evening to cast their lot with Miami’s Top 50 public university.
“Every year I am thrilled to talk about how the class excels and how impressive the students are as we read through their applications and learn more about their stories,” Glassman said. “This year is no different.”
With the average GPA over the 4.0 mark and SAT scores greater than 1200, applicants showed their academic prowess.
But, Glassman added, “I also feel like this year the class have a lot of special qualities that we haven’t seen before. This is the class born at the same time as the iPhone and the same year as the final book in the Harry Potter series was released, and both are still going strong nearly 18 years later. This class was born into innovation and maybe just a little bit of magic.”
In addition to continuing a yearslong trend of attracting ever-higher-achieving applicants, FIU also has experienced a growth in the number of applicants.
For the Early Action first round, FIU saw 19% more applications than the previous year. That includes a 15% jump in in-state applicants and a 22% jump in out-of-state applicants.
Additional students will be accepted in January and early April.
The final analysis: This is the place to be.