Degree Options at the University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Most Affordable Master’s in Industrial Engineering Online Programs.
The University of Central Florida is divided into 13 colleges and offers more than 220 majors to applicants. The most popular degrees for students at the University of Central Florida include the Bachelor of Science in Psychology, the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, and the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences.
Other popular degrees include the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. For undergraduate programs, students can choose from majors, minors, certificates, accelerated undergraduate-to-graduate programs, and articulated associate of science degrees.
At the graduate level, degrees range from master’s degrees to certificates to doctoral programs. The university regularly updates its existing programs, as well as creates new programs to accommodate new topics and areas of research. In addition, the university offers a variety of degrees online, from the undergraduate through the graduate level.
Colleges within which the university offers its programs online and on-campus include the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Business Administration, the College of Education and Human Performance, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Additional programs are housed within the Burnett Honors College, the College of Health and Public Affairs, the College of Medicine, and the College of Nursing.
Students who choose to study online and receive their degree through digital study may choose from bachelor’s degree programs in areas like English, nursing, legal studies, communication, health services administration, and sociology. Many of the degrees are offered in multiple types. For example, students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice or a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.
For students at the graduate level, online programs include those in aerospace engineering, environmental engineering, applied learning & instruction, criminal justice, research administration, and many other areas. Like the university’s undergraduate degrees, there are opportunities to earn different types of degrees in the same area.
Applicants can also enroll in many online certificate programs, which usually require fewer credits and may be completed in less time for the average student. Topics available for study at the certificate level include juvenile justice leadership, special education, professional writing, instructional design for simulations, and gifted education, as well as many others.
About the University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida, and it has more students enrolled on its campus for classes than any other college in the country. The school was founded in 1963 by the state’s legislature and would open in the late 1960s as Florida Technological University. Its original purpose was to provide support for people working for the space program at nearby Kennedy Space Center, as well as the servicemen and women stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The main campus in Orlando covers 1,415 acres, but there are an additional 400 acres of classrooms and research centers in other locations. The university is affiliated with NCAA Division I games, and its teams play as the Knights in their American Athletic Conference. The university’s official colors are gold and black.
University of Central Florida Accreditation Details
Regional accreditation for the University of Central Florida is granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Accreditation authorizes the university to award degrees from the associate to the doctoral level. The last time the university reaffirmed its accreditation was in 2016, and the school will undertake that process again in 2026. The university uses its UCF Quality Enhancement Plan to improve continuously as an institution.
The university has several programmatic accreditations to its credit, which include approvals from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., the American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, and the American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation. Programs are also accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation and the National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation.
University of Central Florida Application Requirements
According to the university, the average freshman at the University of Central Florida has an SAT score of 1330, an ACT score of 29, and a high school GPA of 4.15. High school seniors are welcome to apply, and the university encourages students who have dual enrollment credits, an associate’s degree, and students who have already graduated to apply. The items required for the application include a high school transcript, official standardized test score, and official transcripts.
Students are also encouraged to create an application essay, but the essay isn’t absolutely required for admission. The school also requires its students to apply online, as well as submit records from any post-secondary schools attended or where the student received some credit. Students who already have a bachelor’s degree and want to apply to graduate school should check with their chosen program for application guidelines.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate students who attend the University of Central Florida full-time will pay $5,954 for tuition if they’re residents of Florida or $20,980 if they’re from outside the state. Other costs include books, room & board, and transportation. The school estimates books to cost $1,200, room and board to cost $10,010, and transportation to cost $1,866. When personal expenses are added, the university expects resident students to pay a total of $22,134 to attend and non-residents to pay a total of $37,160 to attend.
For graduate students attending the university, tuition and fees for Florida residents come to $5,902, and tuition and fees for non-residents come to $12,518. Other costs include $1,200 for books, $10,010 for room and board, and $1,866 for transportation. The university puts total costs for residents attending graduate school at $22,082 and non-residents at $28,698.
Students will work with the Office of Student Financial Assistance when they apply for financial aid. Applicants can apply for federal student aid as early as October during the year before they want to attend the university. To qualify for financial aid, students may need to send a form verifying their income and the income of their parents.
Students may also need to upload documents for additional verification. Those with extraordinary financial need may be able to qualify for Pell Grants, and there are also five possible grants available to students who are residents of the state. Florida residents who want to attend the University of Central Florida should learn more about the Access to Better Learning and Education Grant Program and the Florida Student Assistance Grant.