University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university in rural Orange County in the United states of Florida. It is a part of a Florida State University System. It now boasts the biggest student population of any public institution in the United States, with 71,913 students enrolled as of the Fall 2020 semester.

It was established by the Florida Legislature in 1963 and first opened its doors in 1968, when it was known as Florida Technological University. Its mission was to provide personnel to support the expanding United States space programme at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida's Space Coast. Florida Tech was renamed the University of Central Florida in 1978, as the school's academic focus grew to include subjects other than engineering and technology. NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium is led by UCF, which maintains its space origins. Students from 157 countries and all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., began enrolling in the fall of 1998; by 2021, the number of students will have risen to almost 71,000.

Students mostly attend courses on the main campus, which is located 13 miles (21 kilometres) east of downtown Orlando and 35 miles (56 kilometres) west of Cape Canaveral. Located on 10 regional campuses throughout Central Florida, the university offers more than 230 degrees through 13 colleges, including the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona Medical City, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in south Orlando, and the UCF Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando. The University of Central Florida has given more than 346,000 degrees since its foundation, including more than 60,000 graduate and professional degrees, to more than 300,000 alumni across the globe.

There are two official colours for the university: black and gold, and the logo is a Pegasus, which "represents the university's concept of infinite potential." UC Florida's intercollegiate sports teams, known as the "UCF Knights" and symbolised by the mascot Knightro, participate in NCAA Division I as well as in the American Athletic Conference.