About
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university with its main campus in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States, near Orlando. It is part of the State University System of Florida. With 70,674 students as of the fall 2025 semester, UCF has the second largest on-campus student body of any public university in the United States. UCF is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production" and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 236 Title IV programs, 79 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 157 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing79 · 33.5%
- No Data157 · 66.5%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 15
Action history · 17
- Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Apr 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
- Jul 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Apr 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
- Dec 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 24,265 students received $139.1M in Pell grants, alongside $147.6M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 12,607 borrowers who entered repayment, 174 (1.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at University of Central Florida
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 10
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus74
- Non-campus6
Includes 30 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- National origin1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Lake Claire 591 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Hercules Building 1111 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Data quality: 19 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
University of Central Florida vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions University of Central Florida selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity of Central Florida | 78% | — | 69,713 | $10,650 | R1 Research |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 68% | 89.9% | 79,818 | $13,670 | R1 Research |
Florida International University | 74% | 54.7% | 54,723 | $9,133 | R1 Research |
Florida State University | 86% | 24.2% | 43,889 | $10,997 | R1 Research |
George Mason University | 68% | 87.5% | 39,766 | $18,287 | R1 Research |
Georgia State University | 53% | 55.4% | 34,944 | $15,931 | R1 Research |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | 66% | 73.3% | 41,705 | $20,015 | R1 Research |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 85% | 41.7% | 38,464 | $16,931 | R1 Research |
Portland State University | 53% | 90.9% | 19,951 | $12,932 | R2 Research |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 75% | 85.3% | 45,026 | $23,156 | R1 Research |
University of Houston | 65% | 73.9% | 47,980 | $13,853 | R1 Research |
University of Kansas | 69% | 93.5% | 29,792 | $17,365 | R1 Research |
University of Missouri-Columbia | 75% | 78.5% | 31,543 | $19,889 | R1 Research |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 69% | 79.6% | 31,091 | $14,745 | R2 Research |
University of South Carolina-Columbia | 79% | 60.2% | 38,532 | $24,532 | R1 Research |
University of South Florida | 77% | 43.2% | 49,622 | $10,043 | R1 Research |
| Peer group median | 72% | 73.9% | 40,736 | $15,338 |
University of Central Florida Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The page provides information about the Institutional Research at the University of Central Florida, under the division of Analytics and Integrated Planning. It includes contact information, links to dashboards, and a form to submit data requests.
Visit IR office page- Christine McKeelInstitutional Research Analyst II
- Amanda MillerAssociate Director, Institutional Research
- Grant MohiData Analyst I
- Anthony PiazzaInstitutional Research Analyst I
Common Data Set (26)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (7)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardanalytics.ucf.edu
- Data definitionCommon Data SetThe Common Data Set (CDS) at the University of Central Florida is part of a nationwide initiative to standardize higher education data for easier reporting and to minimize discrepancies across multiple publications. Topics covered in the CDS include general information, student life, enrollment, admissions, academic offerings, faculty statistics, and degrees conferred. Historical data from the 1999-2000 academic year to the 2024-2025 academic year is available.analytics.ucf.edu
- Data dictionaryData dictionaryThe University of Central Florida Data Dictionary page provides a comprehensive collection of links related to UCF's academic and administrative resources, including analytics and integrated planning services. It covers various aspects such as academic program quality review, accreditation, faculty surveys, data dashboards, and institutional research, to support development and improvement based on data insights.analytics.ucf.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookUniversity of Central Florida Factbook 2016-20172017The page provides access to historical Fact Books and Enrollment data for the University of Central Florida. It includes a chronological list of available Fact Books from 1969 to 2017, allowing users to view or download reports from specified academic years. The series is published by the University's Institutional Knowledge Management.stars.library.ucf.edu
- GlossaryResearch Glossary & AcronymsThe University of Central Florida provides a comprehensive glossary covering research terms and acronyms related to institutional research and administration. This glossary includes terms from federal regulations, processes, and components that are essential for effective research project management and funding.crastudy.research.ucf.edu
- Strategic planUnleashing Potential: University of Central Florida 2022-2027 Strategic Plan2022The University of Central Florida's 5-year strategic plan, titled 'Unleashing Potential', aims to amplify the power of knowledge and discovery to shape the future and solve global challenges. Signed by President Alexander N. Cartwright, the plan focuses on student success, research, innovation, community engagement, and sustainability. Key metrics include increasing graduation rates, expanding research expenditures, and fostering an inclusive and supportive community for students and staff.ucf.edu
Notable alumni of University of Central Florida (20)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Gene FrantzEngineering and Technology
- Cheryl HinesArts and Entertainment
- Daniel ToshArts and Entertainment
- Alan EustaceScience and Technology
- Nicole StottSpace Exploration
- Imbarek ShamekhGovernment
- Anna EskamaniPolitics
- R. Glenn HubbardEconomics
- Julia PiersonLaw Enforcement
- Brandon MarshallSports
- Blake BortlesSports
- Daunte CulpepperSports
Frequently asked questions about University of Central Florida
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University of Central Florida.
What is the graduation rate at University of Central Florida?
How many students attend University of Central Florida?
What is the average net price at University of Central Florida?
What is the yield rate at University of Central Florida?
Where is University of Central Florida located?
Who runs Institutional Research at University of Central Florida?
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about University of Central Florida and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card