University of Central Florida facts for kids
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Former names
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Florida Technological University (1966–1978) |
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| Motto | "Reach for the Stars" |
| Type | Public research university |
| Established | June 10, 1963 |
| Founder | Florida Legislature |
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Parent institution
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State University System of Florida |
| Accreditation | SACS |
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Academic affiliations
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| Endowment | $228.70 million (2023) |
| Budget | $2.1 billion (2022) |
| President | Alexander Cartwright |
| Provost | Michael D. Johnson |
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Academic staff
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1,906 (fall 2020) |
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Administrative staff
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10,448 (fall 2020) |
| Students | 69,818 (fall 2024) 6,934 Online |
| Undergraduates | 59,649 (fall 2024) |
| Postgraduates | 10,170 (fall 2024) |
| Location |
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Florida
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United States
28°36′06″N 81°12′02″W / 28.6016°N 81.2005°W |
| Campus | Large suburb Main: 1,415 acres (573 ha) Total: 1,893 acres (766 ha) |
| Other campuses | |
| Colors | Black and gold |
| Nickname | Knights |
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Sporting affiliations
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| Mascot |
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The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a large public research university. Its main campus is in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. UCF has one of the largest student bodies of any public university in the U.S., with over 69,000 students as of fall 2024.
UCF was started in 1963 and first opened its doors in 1968. It was originally called Florida Technological University. Its main goal was to train people in science, technology, engineering, and math. This was to help the growing U.S. space program at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As the university grew and offered more types of studies, its name changed to the University of Central Florida in 1978. UCF still has strong ties to space. It runs the Florida Space Institute and the Robinson Observatory. It also helps manage the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center.
Most students go to classes at the main campus, which is about 13 miles (21 km) east of downtown Orlando. UCF offers more than 230 different degrees through 13 colleges. These include campuses like the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona Medical City and the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in south Orlando. Since it began, UCF has given out over 437,000 degrees.
UCF's official colors are black and gold. Its symbol is Pegasus, a winged horse, which shows the university's idea of "limitless possibilities." The university's sports teams are called the UCF Knights. Their mascot is Knightro. They compete in NCAA Division I and are part of the Big 12 Conference.
Contents
History of UCF
How UCF Started
After President John F. Kennedy's famous "We choose to go to the Moon" speech in 1962, the space program became very important in Central Florida. This was because of its closeness to Cape Canaveral. Local leaders wanted more higher education options in the area. So, on June 10, 1963, the Florida government passed a law to create a new state university. This university was meant to educate students for jobs in engineering and other technology fields. It was open to all students, without segregation.
In 1964, the university bought 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land in northeast Orlando. Local people also donated more land and money to help. In 1965, Charles Millican became the first president of the new university. He chose the name Florida Technological University and helped design the Pegasus symbol. Millican also came up with the university's motto, "Reach for the Stars." He designed the campus with a unique circle layout, which was inspired by Walt Disney.
The first classes were held on October 7, 1968. There were 1,948 students in 55 different programs. The first group of students graduated in 1970.
Millican also picked the university's colors. The first mascot was the Citronaut, a mix of an orange and an astronaut. Students didn't like it much. Later, in 1971, students voted for the Knight of Pegasus to be the official mascot. This name later became the Golden Knights and then just the Knights.
UCF Grows and Changes
In 1978, Trevor Colbourn became the second president. He saw that the university was teaching more than just technology and science. It now had strong programs in business, education, and arts. So, in December 1978, the university's name was changed to the University of Central Florida.
Colbourn also started the university's honors program and its first satellite campus. He helped create the Central Florida Research Park next to the campus. This park became a big center for research in space and defense. Companies like Lockheed Martin and the United States Navy became partners with UCF. During his time, the number of students grew from 11,000 to over 18,000. Colbourn also supported the university's sports teams, starting the football program in 1979.
The Hitt Years
In 1992, John C. Hitt became UCF's fourth president. Under his leadership, UCF grew a lot. It became a well-known research university. When Hitt started, there were about 20,000 students. By 2014, there were over 60,000 students across 12 campuses. The university improved its academic standards and increased its research funding. Many new buildings were built, and UCF formed important partnerships with other research groups.
The university's sports programs also expanded. An on-campus football stadium and a new basketball arena were built. More student housing was added. The UCF College of Medicine was also developed. In 1999, Knightro became the official mascot.
In 2010, UCF awarded its 200,000th degree.
Current Leadership
Alexander Cartwright is the fifth and current president of UCF. He became president on April 13, 2020.
UCF Campuses
Main Campus
The main campus of the University of Central Florida is located east of Orlando, Florida. It is designed in a unique way, with a series of circles. The outermost circle is Gemini Blvd, which is the main road for cars. Inside that are Apollo Circle, Mercury Circle, and then Pegasus Circle in the very middle.
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Pegasus Circle has the student union. The John C. Hitt Library is right next to it. All the main academic buildings are inside Gemini Blvd. The campus is divided into pie-shaped sections for each college. UCF's campus is one of only two in the U.S. with this circle design. Newsweek magazine once called it one of the most beautiful university campuses.
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Student housing is located around the edge of the campus. The northwest side has Greek houses and dorms.
The north side has Knights Plaza, which is like a small town with shops and restaurants, and sports facilities. The east side has the Arboretum of the University of Central Florida and engineering buildings.
The south side has student recreation and wellness centers, a pool, and more student housing. Also south of the main campus is the Central Florida Research Park. This park is one of the largest research parks in the country. It offers many jobs to students and graduates.
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Other Campuses
Besides the main campus in Orlando, UCF has several other campuses around Central Florida.
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In Orlando, there is a campus downtown and the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida. The Rosen College of Hospitality Management is also in Orlando, close to the city's tourism areas like Universal Studios and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
Downtown Campus
In 2019, a 15-acre (6.1 ha) campus opened in Downtown Orlando. It was built with Valencia West College. It includes academic buildings and student spaces.
Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona
The 50-acre (20 ha) UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona is home to the UCF College of Medicine. This area is becoming a "medical city" with other hospitals and research centers nearby. The campus will also be home to the UCF College of Nursing and the new UCF College of Dental Medicine. The College of Medicine welcomed its first class of students in August 2009.
When finished, this campus could have up to 5,000 students and teachers in health-related programs.
How UCF is Run
UCF is part of the State University System of Florida. It is managed by a board of trustees. This board has 13 members chosen for five-year terms. The student government president and a faculty leader also serve on the board.
The president of UCF is the main leader of the university. The president is chosen by the board of trustees. The current president's office is in Millican Hall on the main campus.
UCF's budget has faced some cuts over the years. To deal with this, the university has frozen hiring, cut some staff benefits, and managed its money carefully. UCF's operating budget for the 2014–15 school year was $1.5 billion. The university's financial fund, called an endowment, was worth $162 million in 2020.
Academics at UCF
Becoming a Student
It has become harder to get into UCF for first-time college students. The acceptance rate has gone down from 61% in 2005 to 42% in 2020.
In fall 2020, students who got into UCF had average SAT scores of 1320 and ACT scores of 28.7. Their average high school weighted GPAs were 4.18. UCF is known for having high average test scores and GPAs compared to other universities. Many students receive financial help to pay for college.
More students applied to UCF in 2015 than to any other public university in Florida. UCF also gave out more bachelor's degrees than any other public university in Florida that year.
How UCF is Organized
The University of Central Florida is approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It uses a semester system. The fall semester runs from late August to early December. The spring semester runs from early January to early May. UCF also offers four different summer semesters. The university is known as a "very high research activity" university.
UCF's Rankings
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF tied for 124th among National Universities. It was also tied for 64th among "Top Public Schools." The same report called UCF the 14th most innovative school and 8th best for online bachelor's programs in the country.
Colleges at UCF
The university has 13 colleges. They offer many different degree programs:
- 101 bachelor's programs
- 88 master's programs
- 31 doctoral programs
- Three specialist programs
- One professional program (medicine)
About 75% of the teachers have doctorate degrees. The three largest undergraduate colleges are the College of Sciences, the College of Business Administration, and the Health Professions and Sciences.
[[multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | header = | header_align = left/right/center | header_background = | footer = | footer_align = left/right/center | footer_background = | width = | image1 = UCF College of Sciences.jpg | width1 = 175 | alt1 = A brick and glass clad building is seen alongside a street. | caption1 = College of Sciences | image2 = UCF HCEC.jpg | width2 = 175 | alt2 = A modern architectural style building is seen clad in stone, metal, and glass against the backdrop of trees and a blue sky. | caption2 = Engineering Center | image3 = UCF TA.jpg | width3 = 175 | alt3 = A modern architectural style building is seen clad in metal and glass against the backdrop of trees and a blue sky. | caption3 = Teaching Academy ]]
The Burnett Honors College
The Burnett Honors College is for about 500 talented new students each year. Students in this college take smaller classes and can do their own research projects. They can also work with a professor on research. Another program lets older students do original research in their major and write a special honors paper.
College of Medicine
The UCF College of Medicine was created in 2006 to offer more medical education in Florida. Its first class of 41 students started on August 3, 2009. Eventually, it will train about 120 medical graduates each year.
The College of Medicine received over 4,300 applications for only 41 spots in its first year. This made it the most selective medical school in the country at that time. The first class had very high average test scores and GPAs. Every student in the first class received a full scholarship for all four years.
The university wants the college to be a strong research medical school. It works with other research centers and hospitals at the Lake Nona campus.
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
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This college is located near the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Its campus is designed to look like a resort. Many parts of the college are named after important donors. The college has a Campus Life Office and Career Services Office. In 2005, two dorm buildings opened on campus, housing 400 students.
Special Programs
Some programs at UCF are called "limited access programs." This means more students want to join them than there are spots available. So, getting into these programs is very competitive. Examples include programs in communication, music, theater, dance, and medical laboratory sciences. Students have to apply separately to these programs.
UCF Libraries
UCF Libraries have over 2.2 million print books, 660,000 e-books, and many other resources. They also have special collections about tourism and the history of Central Florida. UCF Libraries work with other university libraries in Florida.
Most of the books and media are in the John C. Hitt Library on the main campus. This library is five stories tall and was the first academic building on campus. In 2012, the main library was named after John C. Hitt, UCF's fourth president. Besides the John C. Hitt Library, UCF has libraries at its other campuses.
The library is working on a "21st Century Library Project." This project will add more space for students to learn, use technology, work together, and do research. It will include a new four-story automated system to store books.
Research at UCF
The University of Central Florida does a lot of research. It works with big companies like Lockheed Martin, Disney, Boeing, and SpaceX. UCF is also part of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. The university has made important discoveries in areas like aerospace, optics, and computer science.
UCF is known as a "very high research activity" university. In 2018, UCF spent $215.3 million on research and development. In 2009, UCF and the Central Florida Research Park together supported 46,000 jobs and $3.84 billion in economic activity. The new College of Medicine is expected to create many local jobs and have a big economic impact.
The Orlando area has the world's largest group of companies that work on modeling, simulation, and training. The Central Florida Research Park next to the main campus is one of the largest research parks in the country. It provides over 10,000 jobs. Many people in the Research Park work with UCF researchers and students on projects in science, engineering, and health.
UCF also does research through many special centers. These include the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers and the Florida Solar Energy Center.
Space Institute
UCF started and helps run the Florida Space Institute with partners like NASA. Because of their work, 17 UCF researchers have had asteroids named after them. UCF researchers even found and named a planet, UCF-1.01, in 2012. The U.S. National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center is also managed by UCF.
Student Life at UCF
Student Body
UCF has a large student body. As of 2020–21, there were 61,456 undergraduate students and 10,002 graduate students. Students come from all 67 counties in Florida, all 50 U.S. states, and 157 countries. UCF students can also study abroad in 42 programs in 21 countries.
The largest undergraduate majors at UCF include business, health, psychology, education, and engineering. The number of students at UCF has grown a lot, from 33,453 in 2000 to 71,948 in 2020. About 55% of the students are women.
For the 2020–21 school year, tuition for in-state undergraduate students was about $212 per credit hour. For out-of-state students, it was about $748 per credit hour.
UCF has over 400 student organizations. It also has intramural sports and an active Student Government Association.
Traditions
Spirit Splash is a fun homecoming tradition at UCF. It's usually the only time students are allowed to go into the Reflecting Pond. It has been called the best college tradition in Florida.
Spirit Splash happens on the Friday before the Homecoming football game. It's a big pep rally where thousands of students jump into the pond to show their school spirit. The mascot Knightro, the band, cheerleaders, and athletes all take part.
Another new tradition is about the Pegasus symbol in the middle of the Student Union floor. New students are told never to walk on the Pegasus. The tradition says that if you step on it, you won't graduate from UCF. Students are often seen carefully walking around it.
Student Housing
UCF has housing for over 12,000 students on campus in eight different areas. There are dorm-style suites and apartment-style housing. Most on-campus housing is for first-year students. The Towers at Knights Plaza mainly house older students, athletes, and honors students. UCF also has housing at the Rosen College Apartments.
Many students also live in university-affiliated apartments like Knights Circle and The Pointe at Central. These places offer UCF services and shuttle buses to campus. NorthView is another UCF-owned housing option north of the main campus.
Greek housing is available on campus in the Greek Park community. There are also many Greek organizations that have houses off campus.
LEAD Scholars Academy
The LEAD Scholars Academy is a special two-year program for undergraduate students. It helps students develop leadership skills through classes, hands-on learning, and community service. Students in the program take leadership courses and work on projects.
Students in the LEAD Scholars Academy participate in events like the REEL Retreat and Leadership Week. Graduates receive a Leadership Studies certificate. They also contribute thousands of hours of community service each year. The program has won awards for its leadership and civic learning initiatives.
Recreation and Fitness
UCF has many ways for students to stay active. Lake Claire is a lake on campus where students can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats for free. UCF also has a Challenge Course with a high ropes course.
The Recreation and Wellness Center is on the south side of campus. It's open to all students. The center offers programs to help students understand their health, provides health testing, and has personal trainers.
The Recreation and Wellness Center, which opened in 2002, is a large building. It has a climbing wall, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, a disc golf course, sports fields, and pools.
Student Government
The University of Central Florida's Student Government (UCF SG) speaks for the university's nearly 70,000 students. It is the largest student government in Florida. UCF SG manages a large budget. It helps fund and run several campus departments, like the Recreation and Wellness Center and the Student Union. It also provides funding to almost 600 student organizations.
Campus Transportation
The university campus has a shuttle service called The Pegasus Express. It runs on 11 routes on campus. There are also regional campus shuttles that serve the Central Florida Research Park, Rosen College, Health Sciences campus, and Downtown campus. These shuttles also go to 22 off-campus UCF apartment complexes.
Media
KnightNews.com is a digital student newspaper for UCF. It operates independently from the university. It won an award in 2016 for its work on open government. The university also publishes two magazines, Centric (for students) and Pegasus (the official university magazine).
UCF has run WUCF-FM, an NPR radio station, since 1978. It plays Jazz music and can be heard across Central Florida. In 2011, the university bought WUCF-TV, which is Central Florida's only Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television station.
UCF's Jazz Studies program has its own professional recording label, Flying Horse Records. The faculty group, The Jazz Professors, and the student group, The Flying Horse Big Band, have both released music on this label.
Greek Life
Greek life at UCF includes over 3,000 students in more than 45 chapters. About 11% of undergraduate males and 9% of undergraduate females are members of a sorority or fraternity.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at UCF has different groups:
- UCF Greek Council
- Interfraternity Council (18 fraternities)
- National Pan-Hellenic Council (9 historically black organizations)
- Panhellenic Council (12 sororities)
- Diversified Greek Council (9 cultural organizations)
There are also three recognized Christian fraternal organizations. The average GPA of students in Greek Life is higher than the overall university average.
UCF Sports Teams
The University of Central Florida has many intercollegiate sports teams. They are called the "UCF Knights". They compete in NCAA Division I and are part of the Big 12 Conference. The men's soccer team competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
UCF has 15 varsity teams: 6 for men and 9 for women.
- Men's sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, and tennis.
- Women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
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The Knights teams have won many conference titles and two national titles. The women's volleyball team won a national championship in 1978. The men's basketball team reached the Division II Elite Eight in the same year. In 2017, the football team was named national champions by one ranking system after an undefeated season.
The UCF cheerleading team, which is a club sport, has won national titles in 2003, 2007, 2020, and 2024.
The UCF sports program started in 1969. In the mid-2000s, UCF joined the Conference USA (CUSA) and opened a new sports village in 2007. This village, called Knights Plaza, includes a 10,000-seat indoor arena (now Addition Financial Arena) and a 45,000-seat football stadium (now FBC Mortgage Stadium). UCF was the first university to open a new football stadium and basketball arena in the same year.
The Knights football program began in 1979. They have won two conference championships. In 2005, they had a great season, winning their division and playing in their first bowl game. In 2007, they won the CUSA Championship. In 2010, the Knights were ranked nationally for the first time. They won the CUSA Championship again and their first-ever bowl game. In 2013, the Knights joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and won its first football championship. They also beat the Baylor Bears in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. In 2017, the Knights had an undefeated season and beat the Auburn Tigers in the 2018 Peach Bowl.
The UCF men's basketball team started in 1969. They have been to the NCAA tournament ten times. In the 2010–11 season, the Knights were nationally ranked for the first time. In the 2016–17 season, they reached the semi-finals of the NIT. In the 2019 NCAA tournament, they almost beat Duke, a top-ranked team.
UCF's main rival is the University of South Florida Bulls. Their rivalry is called the War on I-4.
Famous People from UCF
Many successful people have graduated from UCF. These include:
- A former prime minister of Libya.
- A chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
- A United States assistant secretary of state.
- Two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts, Nicole Stott and Fernando Caldeiro.
- Many leaders in the armed forces.
UCF graduates have also become leaders at many big companies like Google, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Disney, and Yahoo!.
Notable Teachers at UCF
The teachers at UCF include many well-known people. Some examples are:
- Two former United States ambassadors.
- A former United States congressman.
- A former vice president of Walt Disney Creative Entertainment.
- A former Davis Cup tennis player.
Some teachers have won major awards like the Pulitzer Prize. Because of the work of its professors and the Florida Space Institute, UCF is set to be the first Florida university to lead a NASA mission.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Florida Central para niños
- Greater Orlando
- State University System of Florida
