University of Central Florida
Florida's largest university, founded to staff the Space Coast and now strong in optics, simulation and hospitality.
- Acceptance rate
- 43%
- First-year applicants for fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 70,674
- 60,083 undergraduates
- International
- 4%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 26:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $22,482
- 2026-27
About UCF
The University of Central Florida was created by the Florida Legislature in 1963 and opened in 1968 as Florida Technological University, partly to train engineers and scientists for the aerospace workforce around Kennedy Space Center. It has grown into the largest university in Florida by enrollment: 70,674 students in fall 2025, including 60,083 undergraduates, on a 1,420-acre main campus 13 miles east of downtown Orlando plus a downtown campus, a College of Medicine at Lake Nona and the Rosen College of Hospitality Management near International Drive.
UCF is an R1 research university and received $237.4 million for funded research in fiscal 2025. Its strengths reflect the region: the College of Optics and Photonics, simulation and training research next to the Central Florida Research Park, engineering and computer science (its largest college, with 14,149 undergraduates), and hospitality management tied to Orlando's tourism industry.
Admission is selective for a school of its size: UCF admitted about 43% of first-year applicants for fall 2025, and the SAT, ACT or CLT is required. It suits students who want a big, spirited campus with Big 12 athletics, a huge range of majors and internships (students complete more than 39,000 co-op, internship and service-learning experiences a year), and low in-state tuition.
Reach for the Stars
University motto
Why students choose UCF
Florida residents pay about $5,954 a year in tuition and fees (2026-27), and 70% of first-time students graduate with no educational debt.
A dedicated College of Optics and Photonics and the Rosen College of Hospitality Management are specialisations few universities offer at undergraduate level.
Students complete more than 39,000 co-op, internship and service-learning experiences each year, helped by partners across Orlando's simulation, aerospace and tourism industries.
The Burnett Honors College enrolled 508 new students in fall 2025, and UCF counts 303 National Merit Scholars, second among Florida's state universities.
Admissions
First-year applicants for fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted
25,522 admitted from 59,629 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
8,103 first-years enrolled. Florida residents were admitted at about 47% (21,823 of 46,049), out-of-state applicants at about 28% (3,124 of 11,215) and international applicants at about 24% (575 of 2,365). Some applicants receive a Pathway admit instead of direct admission.
Typical entry requirements
| Florida high school units (minimum 18) | 4 English, 4 math (Algebra 1 and above), 3 science, 3 social studies, 2 sequential years of the same foreign language and 2 academic electives; AP, IB, AICE, dual enrollment and honors grades are weighted |
|---|---|
| International secondary school record | Official transcripts, graduation certificates or leaving exam results from all secondary schools (see UCF's Country Reference Guide), with certified translations, plus SAT, ACT or CLT scores |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 Required for non-native English speakers unless exempt: TOEFL iBT 80 (tests before January 2026) or 4 on the new scale, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 120, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 520, ACT English 20 or CLT Verbal Reasoning + Grammar/Writing 42. Exempt if English is the only official language of your country or you completed four years at an accredited US high school. |
Deadlines
- Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 9 daysOctober 15, 2026
Materials (SPARK form, official test scores) due November 15, 2026; decisions December 4. Outcomes: admit, Pathway admit, defer or deny. Meeting both Early Action deadlines is required for merit scholarship consideration.
- International applicants from abroad (fall) Non-binding In ~6 monthsApril 1, 2027
For international students applying from outside the US; international students already in the US follow the May 1 deadline. Decisions are rolling.
- Regular Decision (fall) Non-binding In ~7 monthsMay 1, 2027
Rolling notifications begin in January for summer and fall; summer entry closes March 1.
UCF's first-year application for summer and fall 2027 is open; the dates above are from its freshman and international deadline pages (month and day). Merit scholarship funding is limited and goes first to students who meet the Early Action deadlines.
How to apply
UCF Undergraduate Application (or Common App for international first-years); SPARK self-reported academic record; official SAT, ACT or CLT scores (SAT code 5233, ACT 0735); $30 application fee; essay strongly encouraged but not required. International applicants also submit official secondary credentials, English proficiency proof and immigration documents to UCF Global.
What admissions looks for
- Your academic GPA, recalculated by UCF with extra weight for rigorous core courses, and the rigor of your high school record.
- SAT, ACT or CLT scores, which are required.
- Completion of the 18 required high school units, with extra weight for AP, IB, AICE, dual enrollment and honors core courses.
- An application essay, which is optional but strongly encouraged, and early, complete applications for scholarship review.
Tips for applying to UCF
- 1 Apply by October 15 and get your SPARK form and official scores in by November 15: it is the only way to get priority merit scholarship consideration.
- 2 Write the essay even though it is optional; UCF strongly encourages it.
- 3 Aim for the fall 2026 admitted range (SAT 1310-1420 or ACT 28-32) rather than the lower enrolled-student range; UCF superscores the ACT and the Science section is optional.
- 4 Out-of-state applicants face a much lower admit rate (about 28%) than Floridians, so apply early and present your strongest scores.
- 5 If you are offered a Pathway admit, it is still a route to a UCF degree, so read the terms before declining.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for University of Central Florida
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
72% of UCF undergraduates received some form of financial aid last year, and 70% of first-time students graduate with no educational debt. First-year merit scholarships, including Pegasus awards, range from $6,000 to $30,000 over four years for Florida residents and up to $50,400 for non-residents; fewer than 20% of students receive one, and the Provost Award goes to under 10% of Florida freshmen. International students on F-1 visas cannot receive federal aid; in the latest CDS, 328 nonresident undergraduates received institutional aid averaging $994.
- $26,272 / $43,832, including books, transportation and personal costs
- 2026-27 cost of attendance (Florida resident / non-resident)
- 70%
- First-time students graduating debt-free
- Up to $50,400 over four years
- Merit scholarships for non-Florida residents
- 328 students, averaging $994
- Nonresident (international) undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Optics and Photonics
A full College of Optics and Photonics, home to the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL).
Hospitality Management (Rosen College)
A separate campus near International Drive, in the middle of Orlando's tourism industry, with 1,964 undergraduates.
Engineering and Computer Science
UCF's largest college (14,149 undergraduates), originally built to supply engineers for Kennedy Space Center; mechanical engineering is the most popular major among admitted freshmen.
Modeling and simulation
The Institute for Simulation and Training sits beside the Central Florida Research Park in a metro area with the world's largest cluster of simulation and training companies.
Nursing and Biomedical Sciences
Both are among the top five majors of admitted freshmen, with an M.D.-granting College of Medicine at Lake Nona.
Research
- $237.4 million in funded research in fiscal 2025, and more than $1 billion in external grants and contracts over the past decade.
- Research institutes include CREOL, the Florida Solar Energy Center, the Institute for Simulation and Training and the Institute for Economic Competitiveness.
- The adjacent Central Florida Research Park is one of the largest research parks in the US, with more than 10,000 jobs.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Humanities
- College of Business
- College of Community Innovation and Education
- College of Engineering and Computer Science
- College of Health Professions and Sciences
- College of Medicine
- College of Nursing
- College of Optics and Photonics
- Rosen College of Hospitality Management
- College of Sciences
- Burnett Honors College
- College of Graduate Studies
Career Services helped 22,996 students search for jobs in 2024-25, and 4,451 STEM bachelor's degrees were awarded that year. College Scorecard: median earnings of $58,308 ten years after entry (and $47,137 six years after entry) for federally aided students.
Student life
UCF's main campus is laid out in concentric rings, with the student union and John C. Hitt Library at the centre and the Reflecting Pond nearby. About 69% of first-years live in university or affiliated housing, and more than 12,000 students live on campus or in affiliated housing overall. Knights Plaza on the north side of campus holds the football stadium, arena, shops and restaurants. The best-known tradition is Spirit Splash, the homecoming pep rally when students jump into the Reflecting Pond.
- The UCF Knights compete in NCAA Division I in the Big 12 Conference, and the football team finished 2017 as the only undefeated FBS team.
- Spirit Splash, the homecoming rally in the Reflecting Pond, began in 1995.
- Students avoid stepping on the Pegasus seal in the Student Union, which superstition says means you will never graduate.
- 12,280 students live in on-campus and affiliated housing, including Greek housing and apartments at the Rosen College and downtown.
Housing. About 69% of first-years lived in university or affiliated housing in fall 2025, in residence-hall suites or apartment-style communities; affiliated off-campus apartments add about 3,750 beds.
Location
Orlando is one of the most visited cities in the world, and UCF sits on its east side, 13 miles from downtown and next to the Central Florida Research Park. Theme parks, Lake Nona's Medical City and the Space Coast around Kennedy Space Center are all within reach, and they supply many of the internships students take. Expect a warm, humid climate and a car-oriented city, though shuttles link UCF's campuses.
Nearest airport: Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Notable alumni
- AE Alan EustaceGoogle senior vice president of engineering and stratospheric skydiving record holder; three degrees in computer science including a PhD (1984)
- CH Cheryl HinesActress (Curb Your Enthusiasm); degree in radio and television production (1990)
- DT Daniel ToshComedian and host of Tosh.0; marketing graduate (1996)
- NS Nicole StottNASA astronaut and ISS flight engineer; MS in engineering management (1992)
- OR Omar RajaFounder of House of Highlights and ESPN commentator; business major at UCF
- BA Brian ActonCo-founder of WhatsApp; took classes at UCF before transferring (non-degree)
- BM Brandon MarshallNFL wide receiver for 13 seasons; played for the UCF Knights
- BB Blake BortlesNFL quarterback and third overall pick in 2014; AAC Offensive Player of the Year at UCF in 2013
Frequently asked questions
What is UCF's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, UCF admitted 25,522 of 59,629 first-year applicants, about 42.8%. Out-of-state applicants were admitted at about 28%.
Does UCF require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. All first-year applicants, including international students, must submit SAT, ACT or CLT scores. The ACT Science section is optional.
What SAT score do you need for UCF?
Students admitted for fall 2026 had a middle-50% SAT of 1310-1420 (ACT 28-32) and a weighted GPA of 4.11-4.57. The enrolled fall 2025 class averaged 1347 on the SAT.
When is the UCF Early Action deadline?
Apply by October 15, 2026 and submit materials by November 15; decisions arrive December 4. Regular Decision for fall 2027 runs until May 1, 2027 (April 1 for international applicants abroad).
How much does UCF cost for out-of-state students?
For 2026-27, non-Florida tuition and fees are about $22,482 and the total estimated cost of attendance is $43,832. Merit scholarships of up to $50,400 over four years are available to non-residents who meet Early Action deadlines.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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