University of South Florida







Mission Statement

The Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) represents USF graduate and professional student interests pertaining to academic, social, and cultural issues by uniting the graduate voice on campus and advocating for deeper engagement between graduate students and the university.

What GPSC Does for You!

Here are just a few things that the Graduate & Professional Student Council does for USF graduate students:

  • Advocated initial $63,000 to assist graduate students traveling to professional conferences for presenting their research (individual students receive up to $350/year for travel). Continuing to advocate for significant increases and improvements to the Conference Travel Grant program.
  • Lobbied for graduate students to qualify for need-based scholarship from financial aid. Graduate students pay over 1 million dollars per year in financial aid fees and until the GPSC lobbied for it, graduate students did not qualify for these need based grants. Now graduate students qualify for these need-based grants.
  • Recommend graduate students for appointment on University-wide committees and councils so that the graduate student voice is represented.
  • Lobbied for a graduate student financial aid counselor to better meet the specific needs of graduate students.
  • Hold graduate student luncheons with the President, Provost, and Dean of Graduate School so that issues and concerns of graduate students are heard by the top administration.
  • Help organize and support departmental graduate student organizations.
  • Offer monthly workshops on issues important to graduate students (i.e. how to write a vita/resume, interviewing skills, university resources for graduate students, tax workshops).
  • Hold meetings with university administrators to voice graduate concerns.
  • Represent USF graduate students during the National Association for Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS) Legislative Action Day at the capital on issues such as tuition increases and financial support.
  • Organize, promote, and conduct activities beneficial to graduate student life.
  • Offer social events for graduate students to network with other graduate students.
  • Work on important issues such as extended privileges for graduate students.
  • Maintain a graduate student lounge & computer lab.
  • Disseminate information of interest to USF graduate students (i.e. money for research, scholarships, policy changes, free workshops for graduate students, etc.).
  • Organize and support a University-wide graduate student orientation.
  • Listen to the concerns of graduate students—offer support and appropriate resources.
  • Communicate with the Dean of the Graduate School regarding issues important to graduate students.
  • Working with Student Government to have GPSC instated as an independent funding system so that graduate students would make decisions on how to use their A&S Fees.