Two designations have qualified UCF for a spot among 388 of The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges for 2023, which includes only 14% America’s four-year schools. Rankings are determined based on surveys from students across each of the schools featured this year.
UCF was ranked No. 21 for Best Student Health Services. One of UCF’s institutional priorities is student success and well-being, and providing high-quality physical and mental health services is an important element of maintaining that commitment. Knight Nation was also ranked No. 8 for Students Who Love Their School Teams — contributing to culture of community and pride at UCF.
Student Health Services (SHS) provides a variety of primary and specialty care services to help keep students at their optimum health. The Health Center is located on the main campus, and satellite clinics are located at the Rosen College, Health Sciences and Downtown campuses.
Students’ primary care consultation and evaluation by SHS health providers are covered by their tuition.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SHS has provided free vaccines to students, as well as faculty and staff. SHS staff regularly monitor emerging public health threats and concerns, such as monkeypox, and provide guidance.
SHS also offers integrated recovery, treatment, and prevention programming for students dealing with substance and alcohol abuse.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) seeks to strengthen student success by minimizing the interruption of learning caused by mental health concerns. CAPS offers free offers initial assessments, individual counseling, group therapy, workshops and educational presentations on a variety of topics, as well as crisis intervention, and daily walk-in services and professional consultations. Last year, CAPS launched Togetherall, a safe and anonymous peer-to-peer support network that allows participants to connect through online message boards to share their feelings, chat with others experiencing similar struggles and offer help to one another.
In 2021-22, UCF claimed American Athletic Conference titles in volleyball, women’s basketball (regular season and tournament), softball (regular season and tournament), and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. The Knights that year made NCAA Championship appearances in volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, softball and also qualified individuals in women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, as well as a football bowl victory. In 2022, UCF made its initial NCAA super regional appearance in softball (after a No. 16 national seed and a title in the Orlando Regional) and posted NCAA first-round wins in women’s basketball and women’s tennis. The UCF cheer team recorded its 23rd finish in the top five at the UCA National Championships at the start of this year.
Just days after the start of the 2021 football season UCF announced it will be joining the Big 12 Conference. The Knights will begin competition in their new league in 2023-24.
Earlier this year, The Princeton Review ranked the university 49th among all public universities on its Best Value Colleges Rankings. UCF was recognized for factors such as affordability and low student debt and the ranking emphasizes the university offers one of the best returns on investment in the nation.
The Princeton Review also ranked UCF’s graduate game design program as No. 1 in the world for the third year in a row. UCF’s undergraduate game design program earned the No. 13 spot globally.
