The University of Central Florida is one of the largest universities in America with an incredibly diverse student body and a strong focus on research. Located in Orlando, Florida, you’re close to amazing attractions like Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, interactive science exhibits, and incredible art museums. It’s not hard to imagine why UCF admissions get so many applications to be part of its student body. Whatever your reasons for being interested, you’ll need to know some information before sending your application to UCF admissions.

Because of how popular this school is, I did some digging into UCF admissions and gathered the important things you need to know if UCF is on your college list.

Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rated for UCF is about 49%, making them a competitive school, but attainable when it comes to getting in. Around 35,600 applications were received by UCF admissions and about 17,400 were accepted. And if you exceed their admissions requirements, you’re more likely to be accepted.

I strongly encourage you to aim higher when it comes to applying for UCF admissions. This will increase your chances of being accepted. Just because their acceptance rate is higher than some of the other colleges you might be considering, doesn't mean you should take that as a sign to slack off.

GPA Requirement

While there is no official GPA requirement for UCF admissions, that doesn’t mean they will accept anything you throw at them. If you take a look at the average GPA of admitted students, that’s the GPA you should aim for. In the case of UCF, you should be aiming for 4.0 or above. This means you will need to be near the top of your class to increase your chances of being admitted.

Standardized Test Scores

You are required to take the SAT or the ACT to be considered for admission to UCF.

Because the SAT has been redesigned recently, UCF will accept both the old and new SAT scores. The average SAT score on the old 2400 scale is 1263 and the average SAT score on the new 1600 scale is 1324. UCF does superscore the SAT results, but they will not combine scores from the old SAT and new SAT.

The average ACT score of student accepted into UCF is 28. You can submit more than one ACT result to UCF admissions, but they do not superstore for the ACT. They will simply base your admission on the highest ACT score you submit. Shoot for that 28.

How to Improve Your Chances with UCF Admissions

Now that we’ve covered UCF’s acceptance rate, GPA requirement, and standardized test scores, we can take a look at what you need to do to improve your chances of being accepted.

Boost Your GPA

One of the best ways to make you more appealing to the UCF admissions committee is to have a higher GPA. It’s more than just taking classes and getting as many A’s as possible though. Your schedule needs to show that you’re prepared for college-level coursework. You can show this by taking four years each of English, math, science, and social studies and adding two or three consecutive years of a foreign language.

Pursuing a high school schedule like the one I suggested shows the UCF admissions officers that you take your education seriously. By not taking four years of blow-off classes, you’re showing that you are thinking about your future. You need to take it one step further and make sure the classes you’re taking are advanced courses.

While honors courses are good to take if there’s a class standing requirement, you should really focus on packing your course schedule with as many AP and IB courses as you can. You’re showing UCF admissions that you’re not only preparing for college, but that you’re able to handle college-level courses. AP and IB classes operate at college-level intensity and force you to learn information the way you will when you’re in college. They are very challenging courses and will impress UCF admissions, especially if you pull off A’s and B’s.

Check your school’s policy on AP and IB courses and your GPA. Some schools will give a boost to your GPA, because you’re maintaining a certain grade in those classes. If you’re having difficulty in these classes, ask your teacher questions! They want you to succeed and there’s no shame in asking for help. Investing in a tutor is a great way to get extra, specialized attention that works around your schedule.

Kick the ACT or SAT in the Butt

Standardized tests are like the boogeymen of high school. Everyone has to face them and they can be really scary, but you are absolutely capable of taking them on. My first bit of advice is to take both the Pre-ACT and the PSAT at least once. These tests are designed to mimic the test taking experience without jeopardizing the official scores you’re going to send to out to colleges. This also allows you to see which one you perform better in. The ACT and the SAT are two very different tests and you will probably do better on one than the other. And that’s okay!

When you have picked which test you’re going to officially take, go through as many practice tests as you can. Buy a book of them, print them from online, or check one out from the library. Just make sure you practice! Learn about the ACT and SAT so you know what test takers are looking for when they ask you certain questions. Learn the scoring policy in case you get stuck on a question; then you can figure out if it’s better to guess or leave it blank.

Participate in test preparation with someone who took home a top score. They’ll have tips and tricks to help you perform your best on test day. And they’ll be able to coach you through nerves or fears you have about standardized tests.

UCF admissions is competitive, but still attainable for many students. With a 49% acceptance rate, you have a good chance of being admitted if you have a solid GPA and good standardized test scores. To improve your chances of being accepted, make sure to take a rigorous course schedule, dedicate time to preparing for the ACT or SAT, and invest in a tutor to ensure you’re on the right track.

Do you think you’re going to apply to UCF? Nervous about where your grades or test scores stand? Leave us a comment below. We can’t wait to hear from you!