University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida is a public research university serving 70,000+ students in Orlando through 220+ degree programs across 12 colleges, with nationally top-10 innovation credentials and a distributed learning stack spanning UCF Online, on-campus research in optics/photonics, VR/simulation, aerospace, and healthcare.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1963
- HeadquartersOrlando, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What University of Central Florida does
The University of Central Florida (UCF), founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University and renamed in 1978, is a public research university and constituent institution of the State University System of Florida, headquartered on a 400-acre main campus at 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, with an additional Academic Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona. UCF serves more than 70,000 students through 220+ degree programs across 12 colleges, supported by 13,000+ faculty and staff, 14 regional Central Florida locations, and UCF Online (130+ fully online programs). The university brands itself as "Florida's Technological University" and is ranked Top 10 in Innovation Among Public Universities and 6th nationally for Best Online Bachelor's Programs (fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report).
UCF's core academic technology stack centers on Webcourses@UCF (Canvas LMS), administered through the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL), with internally developed sub-products including Materia (gamification), Obojobo (open-source authoring), ProctorHub (exam authentication), PAL (personalized adaptive learning), TOPR (pedagogical repository), and UDOIT (accessibility). Research and product capabilities span optics and photonics (Pegasus Professor Peter Delfyett, Shin-Tson Wu with Meta on LCoS), simulation and VR (Carolina Cruz-Neira, CAVE co-inventor, and the Institute for Simulation and Training), aerospace and hypersonics, space research (Florida Space Institute), healthcare simulation, and VR-based medical education with AI-driven cardiac CT defect detection. Proprietary IP includes SecureRouter (encrypted AI inference via Secure Multi-Party Computation, 1.95x speedup), room-temperature carbon nanofiber production, and exclusive licensing of exosome-based cancer diagnostics with Exousia Pro.
UCF's revenue model blends tuition and fees (in-state/out-of-state and online), federal and state research grants (NIH, NASA, DOE, DoD, including a $3.5M NIH opioid study), private philanthropy (Universal Destinations & Experiences $10M, Bank of America $500K, $30M+ Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion campaign, $3.5B Go For Launch campaign), and corporate licensing/partnerships. Customer segments span traditional undergraduate and graduate students, working professionals, and industry verticals in healthcare, aerospace, themed entertainment, and defense.
University of Central Florida firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of Central Florida
- Legal name
- University of Central Florida
- Website
- https://ucf.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1963
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- University of Central Florida is a public research university serving 70,000+ students in Orlando through 220+ degree programs across 12 colleges, with nationally top-10 innovation credentials and a distributed learning stack spanning UCF Online, on-campus research in optics/photonics, VR/simulation, aerospace, and healthcare.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
University of Central Florida industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education (Public Research University)
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI), Military Graduate & Postgraduate Institutions (STEM/Defense Research) (EDAHAOAE), Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)
Keywords
Where University of Central Florida is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orlando
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
University of Central Florida business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, as well as various student fees for both in-person and online programs
- Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and state funding including NIH grants ($3.5M NIH grant for opioid addiction treatment research), NASA awards, Department of Defense awards for hypersonic research, and various research contracts
- Private Philanthropy: Private funding including the $10M investment from Universal Destinations & Experiences and $500,000 grant from Bank of America for nursing pavilion
- Corporate Partnerships: Revenue from industry partnerships including licensing agreements and collaborative research programs with companies like Universal, TAU Systems, and Exousia Pro
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | In-state undergraduate tuition |
| Subscription | Annual | Out-of-state undergraduate tuition |
| Subscription | Annual | Online RN-to-BSN program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
University of Central Florida product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UCF is a public research university delivering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 12 colleges and more than 220 academic programs. It serves over 70,000 students through its main Orlando campus, 14 regional Central Florida locations, and the UCF Online division offering 130+ fully online programs. The university also generates research output across optics and photonics, simulation and training, aerospace, healthcare simulation, VR/AR, hypersonics, and space research, supported by federal/state grants, corporate partnerships, and private philanthropy.
Product overview
University of Central Florida operates as a comprehensive public research university with a distributed digital learning ecosystem. The core product portfolio centers on Webcourses@UCF (Canvas), UCF's learning management system serving online and blended instruction, supported by the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) which provides instructional design, multimedia services, and faculty development. Supporting products include UCF-developed tools Materia (gamification), Obojobo (learning objects), and ProctorHub (exam proctoring), alongside Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL) technology. Academic offerings include UCF Online with 130+ programs, the new Space MBA, Digital Twins Graduate Certificate, and the Universal School of Experience Leadership and Innovation. Research centers like CASEEM (space medicine) and the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion extend UCF's physical and digital infrastructure for specialized education and training.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bachelor's Degree Programs Undergraduate bachelor's degree programs across 12 colleges including Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Digital Media, Data Science, and Health Informatics, designed for first-time college students.
- Master's Degree Programs Graduate master's degree programs across disciplines including Computer Science (MS), Interactive Entertainment (MS), Nursing (MSN), and Optics & Photonics (MS), aimed at career advancement.
- Doctoral Degree Programs Doctoral degree programs across multiple colleges for advanced research and academic careers.
- UCF Online University-wide online degree and certificate program platform offering 130+ fully online programs including bachelor's, master's, graduate certificates, and doctorates such as FinTech (MS), Health Services Administration (BS), Systems Engineering (MSSE), and Travel Technology and Analytics (MS), serving working professionals and distance learners nationally.
- Space MBA Program A fully online 24-month Space MBA program focused on space commercialization, business strategy, and innovation for the commercial space sector.
- Digital Twins Graduate Certificate
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 10 in Innovation Among Public Universities
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use University of Central Florida
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
University of Central Florida technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration19 records
AI capability11 records
Feature5 records
University of Central Florida partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- BoodleBoxminorAI workspace platform serving 1,300+ colleges and universities, participating in Teaching and Learning with AI Conference hosted at UCF. Partner institutions report 83% improvement in student prompting skills and 95%+ reduction in environmental impact.
- TAU SystemscoreCollaboration with UCF to validate and advance compact laser-powered accelerator (LPA) technology for radiation testing across semiconductors, space electronics, medical imaging, and materials science. Leverages UCF's CRESST center expertise in microelectronics and radiation effects research.
- Universal Destinations & ExperiencesflagshipUniversal invested $10 million to launch the Universal School of Experience Leadership and Innovation at UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The program focuses on hospitality leadership, immersive storytelling, and emerging technologies for themed entertainment, including a Hospitality Technology Lab for AI, robotics, and VR research. This makes Universal UCF's first entertainment-sector 'Pegasus Partner' and expands a 20+ year collaboration.
- NASAflagshipNASA MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award to UCF postdoctoral researcher Saumya Gupta to study radio signals in dense urban environments for urban air mobility applications, developing AI-powered digital twin models.
- Florida Space Research Consortium (FSRC)flagshipEight-university initiative launching next phase to align Florida's universities around space research, innovation, and workforce development. Consortium represents over 300,000 students and $3 billion in annual research activity, aiming to strengthen Florida's competitiveness in global space economy.
- Telos CorporationminorTelos Corporation and UCF launched an on-campus TSA PreCheck enrollment center at The SPOT, serving students, faculty, staff, and surrounding Orlando community. Expands Telos PreCheck access to one of the nation's largest universities.
- iDesignminoriDesign partnered with UCF to redesign 17 online RN-to-BSN nursing courses using AI-enabled quality assurance aligned with national standards, introducing a refreshed 8-week course structure for working nurses.
- Lunar OutpostcoreUCF partnered with Lunar Outpost for NASA's Artemis IV mission, supporting the DUSTER investigation near the Moon's South Pole using MAPP rover to study lunar dust and plasma critical for future lunar operations.
- Exousia Pro, Inc.coreCompleted exclusive licensing agreement with UCF for novel cancer diagnostic and therapy technologies including exosome-based platforms and non-invasive multi-cancer screening test using exosomal NANOG DNA.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
University of Central Florida competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- University of Florida: Florida's flagship public research university and UCF's primary in-state peer. Comparable on public research university status, doctoral programs, research funding scale, and SUS governance structure, though UF has a larger research endowment and more medical/health sciences depth.
- Florida State University: Fellow SUS public research university and direct competitor for in-state talent, faculty, and Florida Board of Governors funding. Strong overlap in graduate programs, online offerings, and statewide recruitment.
- University of South Florida: SUS peer with comparable enrollment scale (~50,000+ students), strong health sciences focus, and overlapping research in simulation, engineering, and medical fields. Direct competition for Florida students and federal research dollars.
- Florida International University: Large SUS public research university serving a major Florida metro (Miami). Comparable scale, online program breadth, and Hispanic-serving institution characteristics that overlap with UCF's diverse Florida workforce mission.
- Arizona State University: Often cited alongside UCF as a Top-10 innovation public university and a leading online education provider. ASU Online and UCF Online compete head-to-head in national rankings for working-professional bachelor's and graduate programs.
- Georgia Institute of Technology: Public technological research university with strong engineering, computer science, and aerospace focus. Highly comparable to UCF's 'Florida's Technological University' positioning and overlaps in defense research, online MS programs (OMSCS), and industry partnerships.
- Purdue University: Public research university with engineering/technology emphasis, large online footprint (Purdue Global), and deep aerospace and defense research. Comparable in scale (~50,000 students) and in monetizing engineering and STEM programs nationally.
- Pennsylvania State University: Multi-campus public research university with Penn State World Campus as one of the largest online programs in the U.S. Direct overlap with UCF in distributed delivery (14+ campuses for UCF vs. 24 campuses for Penn State) and online enrollment scale.
- Ohio State University: One of the largest U.S. public research universities by enrollment (~60,000+ students) and research expenditure ($1B+). Comparable on scale, breadth of programs, medical/health sciences, and Big Ten athletics footprint.
- Texas A&M University: Large public research university with strong engineering, defense research, and space/aerospace ties. Comparable enrollment (~75,000 students) and overlap with UCF in NASA-funded research, Corps of Cadets-adjacent programs, and large online degree portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
University of Central Florida social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of Central Florida compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
University of Central Florida financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of Central Florida leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
University of Central Florida funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of Central Florida M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about University of Central Florida
What does University of Central Florida do?
UCF is a public research university delivering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across 12 colleges and more than 220 academic programs. It serves over 70,000 students through its main Orlando campus, 14 regional Central Florida locations, and the UCF Online division offering 130+ fully online programs. The university also generates research output across optics and photonics, simulation and training, aerospace, healthcare simulation, VR/AR, hypersonics, and space research, supported by federal/state grants, corporate partnerships, and private philanthropy.
Is University of Central Florida a public or private company?
University of Central Florida is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was University of Central Florida founded?
University of Central Florida was founded in 1963. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is University of Central Florida based?
University of Central Florida is headquartered in Orlando, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of Central Florida make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Contracts, private Philanthropy and corporate Partnerships.
Who are University of Central Florida's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are University of Florida, Florida State University, University of South Florida, Florida International University, Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University and Texas A&M University.
Does University of Central Florida have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of Central Florida.
What industry is University of Central Florida in?
University of Central Florida's product category is Higher Education (Public Research University). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAD, Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis, with a secondary code of EDAHAAAI, Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.