College of Central Florida

About College of Central Florida

College of Central Florida began in 1957 as Central Florida Junior College, with instruction starting the following year. Its institutional history includes a 1966 merger with Hampton Junior College, which had served Black residents of the area. The institution became Central Florida Community College in 1971 and adopted its current name in 2010. Today, it functions as a regional public college rather than a comprehensive research university. CF’s service area covers Marion, Citrus and Levy counties. The Ocala Campus is the main location, while the college also operates the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, Vintage Farm Campus and Hampton Center. The Appleton Museum of Art is another part of the college’s regional footprint. These are locations of the same institution, not independent colleges. The college’s degree structure is important for applicants to understand. CF awards Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees and selected baccalaureate degrees, but it does not advertise master’s or doctoral study. It also offers college-credit, career and technical, applied-technology and advanced-technical credentials. SACSCOC accredits CF to award associate and baccalaureate degrees, and the Florida Department of Education approves the college to award those degrees and several certificate types. The active 2026–2027 catalog is the controlling source for current requirements and policies.

General admission begins with CF’s online application and a one-time, nonrefundable $30 application fee; dual-enrollment applicants are exempt from that fee. Applicants then use the MyCF portal to identify required documents. Common requirements include a Florida or non-Florida residency declaration, final official high-school or GED records and placement information. SAT, ACT or PERT results may be used for placement, but the college describes these scores as tools for determining whether preparatory coursework is recommended, not as a universal competitive-admission threshold. After the file is completed and admission is finalized, students complete orientation and register for classes through MyCF with advising support. Admission to the college should not be confused with admission to a limited-access program. Selected health-science and baccalaureate programs have separate prerequisites or selection procedures. International applicants seeking F-1 status follow additional requirements. For 2026–2027 entry, CF requires an application, evaluated foreign academic records, a passport copy and financial-support documentation. Its current international page lists a minimum documented balance of $20,663 for Form I-20 eligibility. Published international deadlines are July 1, 2026 for fall, December 1, 2026 for spring 2027 and April 1, 2027 for summer 2027. These deadlines and financial-document amounts are specific to the listed cycle and should be rechecked before submission.

CF offers several distinct academic routes. The Associate in Arts is designed primarily for students completing lower-division general education before transferring to a four-year institution or entering a CF bachelor’s program. Associate in Science degrees and embedded certificates emphasize workforce preparation in fields such as health care, agribusiness, information technology, business and advanced manufacturing. The college also offers career and technical certificates, college-credit certificates, applied-technology diplomas and advanced-technical certificates. At the bachelor’s level, current offerings include the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Management with multiple specializations, a Bachelor of Applied Science pathway in Public Safety Administration, the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and an RN-to-BSN option. Some baccalaureate programs build on an associate degree, and applicants should check the program-specific prerequisites rather than assuming that general admission to CF guarantees entry. Several health-science and other professional programs are limited access. These may require a separate application, prerequisite coursework, an information session, testing, background checks or other selection criteria. Program pages and the 2026–2027 catalog should be consulted for the applicable cohort. Delivery varies by subject. CF lists on-campus, fully online and mostly online options, but not every credential is available in every format or at every campus. Advising is particularly useful for transfer planning because the college maintains pathways and partnerships involving the University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University and the University of South Florida.

Key Highlights

• Founded in 1957; the current College of Central Florida name was adopted in 2010.
• Accredited by SACSCOC to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
• Serves Marion, Citrus and Levy counties through multiple locations.
• Publishes an active 2026–2027 college catalog.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is distributed across CF’s campuses, so the available activities and facilities depend on where a student studies. The college reports more than 40 clubs and organizations and allows students to work with campus Student Life staff to establish a new club. The Student Activities Board coordinates events, leadership opportunities and community-service activities. CF also sponsors baseball, softball and women’s cross-country teams, with current students admitted to home games without charge. Amenities described by the college include learning commons and library spaces, student lounges, exercise areas, a yoga studio and a weight room. Food service is available at the Ocala Campus through the Patriot Cafe and Cliff’s Cyber Cafe. Students should verify hours and availability because services differ by location and term. College Square Apartments are adjacent to the Ocala Campus and provide a nearby housing option, but CF’s published cost-of-attendance budgets distinguish students living at home from those living away rather than promising a particular housing price. Prospective residents should obtain current lease terms directly from the housing provider. Support services include tutoring, academic advising, accessibility services, licensed counseling, veterans services, TRIO programs and career assistance. CF states that counseling is available to students without charge, either on or off campus.

Location & Surroundings

CF’s main campus is at 3001 S.W. College Road in Ocala, Florida. The college’s wider network serves a three-county area rather than operating solely from one residential campus. Its Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus is in Lecanto, and its Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus is in Chiefland. Additional Ocala-area locations include the Hampton Center, Vintage Farm Campus and Appleton Museum of Art. This distributed structure can be useful for students seeking an option closer to home, but applicants should confirm where the required courses for their particular program are delivered. A program appearing in the college catalog does not necessarily mean that every course is offered at every site. Online and hybrid formats may provide additional flexibility, although availability also varies by program and semester. Students considering housing should note that College Square Apartments are beside the Ocala Campus. Those attending another location, or taking a program split across sites, should evaluate transportation and scheduling before enrolling. CF provides campus maps, directions, operating hours and tour scheduling through its official locations pages.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–2027, CF’s standard cost-of-attendance budget for associate students lists tuition and fees of $2,712 for Florida residents and $10,512 for out-of-state students. Those are budget components rather than the entire cost of attendance. The living-at-home budget also includes estimated distance-learning fees, books and supplies, living expenses, transportation and personal costs, producing total estimated budgets of $11,219 in-state and $19,019 out-of-state. Students living away from home receive a substantially higher living-expense allowance. Actual charges depend on credits, course level, modality and program. The 2026–2027 catalog lists associate-level resident tuition and mandatory fees at $112.92 per credit hour and nonresident charges at $438.20 per credit hour. Upper-division baccalaureate rates are higher. Participating courses may also carry a MyCF Books material-access fee, with an opt-out process described in the catalog. Applicants should use the official calculator and financial-aid materials for a personal estimate rather than relying on the database’s older tuition figures. Career Services supports current students and alumni with career planning, assessments, résumé development, interview practice, internship and job searches, and access to Handshake. The Talent Center connects students with local employment services. CF does not publish a single institution-wide salary outcome on the cited pages, so prospective students should compare program-specific licensure, employment and earnings information when choosing a pathway.