The College of Central Florida (CF) is an exciting public college institution which offers students a large selection of academic pathway programs, leading to highly skilled and well-paid careers with plenty of opportunities for progression.
Founded in 1957, CF is now part of the Florida College System and provides a horizon-broadening college experience at a relatively low price, making it one of the best value degree-awarding institutions in the area. The U.S. Department of Education ranks the college 20th in the United States for affordability, and it has also been ranked among the top 150 colleges in the nation for quality in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2021 by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.
CF is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and delivers a comprehensive program of certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree options. It also fosters strong transfer pathway partnerships with other universities in the Florida College System such as the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida and Florida A&M University.
The college is distributed across several modernized campuses which span the three Florida counties of Marion, Citrus, and Levy. These campuses are vibrant and full of life, offering an excellent learning environment, superb amenities and facilities, and a host of extracurricular student life activities which ensure an academically prosperous and socially fulfilling college experience.
The College of Central Florida continues to maintain and build links with world-leading businesses and organizations, extending its global reach and providing many new opportunities for its students.
Most recently, CF has been chosen as an educational partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, in which employees of the multinational company receive access to CF’s full program of more than 170 degree and certificate programs.
The purpose of this program is to empower Amazon’s employees to gain new skills in preparation for career progression within Amazon, or elsewhere. Employees become members of the CF learning community and benefit from all the resources and support that students at the college enjoy. They are able to tailor their education to their ability level and personal aspirations, and many popular programs are predicted to include accredited industry certifications leading to in-demand skilled work and transferable skills, such as GED diplomas and English language proficiency certificates.
Amazon is investing USD 1.2 billion to provide additional training to more than 300,000 of its employees by 2025 and CF is becoming part of this program, allowing its excellent curriculum to be accessible to a greater range of students.
US$11,713 Undergraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details
US$10,146 Living costs
US$9,804 To live on campus
One of CF’s key attributes is its focus on fair access to education, and it is widely known as being one of the most affordable colleges in Florida and the U.S.
In a 2019 study, the U.S. Department of Education ranked CF as being within the top 1 percent for affordability across the entire country, recognizing the college’s intentionally low tuition fees and its commitment to providing more than USD 1 million in scholarship opportunities to its students each year. Amazingly, up to two-thirds of the college's graduates progress to further education or start their careers with no student loan debt, giving graduates the opportunity to benefit from greater financial freedom right after leaving college.
The college also offers academic tutoring, career guidance, job placement assistance, and a range of academic and career-oriented services to CF students, absolutely free of charge.
Depending on the specific course that a prospective student is applying to, there are several types of documentation to provide during the application process. Each applicant can view the required documents in their MyCF Student Portal which becomes viewable after the submission of an application.
Documents can either be scanned and submitted online or submitted in-person at CF’s campus locations. Typically, these documents can include:
Florida or Non-Florida Residency Declaration Form
High School Transcripts or GED
Placement Test Scores
Online applications take around 15 minutes to complete, and it is important that students indicate their desired program of study, degree type and primary campus location. The college has a rolling admissions process, with six starting semester intakes per year, and recommends submitting an application at least one month prior to the start of the desired semester.
Prospective students can visit the CF website to familiarize themselves with any key dates and deadlines.
The success of CF’s impressive delivery of educational opportunities is largely due to the quality of its teaching faculty, and their commitment to guiding students on to the next stages of their education or career pathways.
The college focuses on providing opportunities at all stages and offers more than 170 different academic pathways spanning a wide variety of subject areas from technical programs to liberal arts, health sciences and much more. Students benefit from studying with award-winning faculty and having access to superb support services, which together ensures that all students have the resources and guidance to succeed. Class sizes are kept small to provide a more personalized approach, with plenty of individual contact with tutors and academic mentors.
The college has been ranked as the No. 17 community college in the nation and No. 5 community college in Florida.
The CF academic department covers a wide range of subject areas. The college has an interdisciplinary approach toward education and encourages cross-collaboration between departments, leading to a multitude of versatile and highly customizable teaching pathways – enabling students to keep a broad spectrum of options open while they study.
Students can create a pathway which fits their academic goals and career aspirations, while the college assigns academic advisors to each student to ensure that they have the encouragement to form a plan for their life after graduation – all before completing their course.
Associate in Arts transfer pathways are a very popular type of program and enable students to take the first two years of college at CF before transferring to another college or university within the Florida College System. This includes such internationally regarded institutions as Florida A&M University, University of Central Florida and University of South Florida.
Employment-oriented programs – such as CF’s Associate in Science, Applied Technology Diploma, and Certificate Pathway – focus on skills development and prepare students for quick entry into their career.
CF’s three fully modernized campuses represent comprehensive learning and for students’ academic goals, personal motivations, social engagement and extracurricular activities. There are many areas to relax and enjoy life on campus, and some of the amenities include:
Learning Resources Center - The Ocala Campus is home to the recently renovated Clifford B. Stearns Learning Resources Center. This is a mixed-use facility for students which incorporates an open area with whiteboards, tables and couches, as well as a café and Learning Support Center.
Main Library - Located on the second floor of the Learning Resources Center, this facility is home to hundreds of thousands of books, journals and digital resources, as well as computers and printers for student use.
S.M.A.R.T. Areas - These versatile zones are perfect for students to study, mingle, achieve, recharge and think!
Yoga Studios - CF provides ample support for student health and wellness. The yoga studios are located at the Levy and Ocala campuses, creating a calming environment for individual or group sessions.
Student Life Organization - Available at all campuses, the Student Life Organization hosts more than 50 student clubs for academic, athletic and social enrichment, and promotes general college engagement.