My son is applying to UCF for 2023. He is a May 2023 HS graduate from Louisiana. As an OOS application, would there be any advantage to applying for the summer 2023 semester over the fall 2023 semester. He really wants to go to UCF, so he is hoping to increase his chances. I did not know if it was advantageous to apply directly for summer or if it was really the same as applying for fall with the potential to be offered summer if fall did not work out. Thoughts?
I don’t think in-state vs OOS will matter here. The summer vs. fall is more about a difference in academic stats.
I don’t know about summer/fall start date, but applying early—getting application in right away—may help? Does he want to start summer anyway? There is a 9 credit summer requirement, but there are some exceptions to that, I think. How are his stats? I think UCF has under 10% oos so also wondering if being oos could also help his application—more diversity on campus? My D is oos sophomore and has no regrets on choosing UCF.
@JimDadinmia and @jeneric seem to have a lot of insight on UCF and have been a great resource in the past.
Hi Saints Fan, and welcome to CC-UCF! Also thanks to @1Lotus for tagging me because I don’t visit regularly.
This is gonna be long, but I’m going to try to answer as much as I can.
First of all, UCF.edu is a very, very good university website. And the search feature actually works amazingly well. Using the search feature is usually the quickest way to find answers, but be sure you are looking at CURRENT information. It will sometimes give you articles several years old.
The other amazing source of information is Undergraduate ADMISSIONS. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call them. They are VERY helpful.
To your specific questions:
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You can get the application opening dates and deadlines from the Academic Calendar (search it) for each term. 1Lotus’ suggestion of early application is a very good idea, because UCF uses “rolling admissions” – so if you wait too long, many of the available spots may have already been taken.
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I don’t know if applying specifically for Summer admission will increase his chances. That would be a GREAT question to ask Undergrad Admissions in a phone call.
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Summer B admission – students graduating in May (my daughter’s situation in 2020) do NOT start the full summer term – and therefore, there is NO 9 hour minimum course load requirement. Summer A starts about the second week of May, which is before most HS graduations – so new graduates start Summer B. And, unless it’s changed, the only course load requirement for Summer be is ONE 3-hour ONLINE course. Again, check that with Undergrad Admissions.
Summer B admissions do one online course and are automatically IN for Fall. I believe my D registered for both terms at the same time. Summer B is UCF’s best kept secret!
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Here’s the Undergraduate Admissions webpage: Admissions | University of Central Florida
The deadlines are shown for each term, but don’t even think about waiting until close to those. Find out when applications OPEN, and apply early!
Undergrad admissions phone: 407-376-9160.
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Thanks so much for the responses. He visited the campus in early summer and loved it. He has a 26 ACT and 3.5 GPA. We know that UCF is pretty selective, so was thinking a summer application may help as the thought is that there would be less competition. Not sure if the thinking is correct or not. If only one online course required for the summer, that is not much of a commitment. Our only concern with summer was the quick turnaround with a move from Louisiana. May not be as big an issue as we thought. Thanks again.
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On the GPA, be advised that UCF uses weighted GPAs, but they recalculate them using their own formula. They count only core courses which the State of Florida requires for HS graduation. On those core courses only, they add 1 bonus point for an AP course and 1/2 point for each honors course. They don’t count non-core classes at all.
The HS my daughter graduated from was ALL AP or Honors, but since only those core courses were used, her UCF weighted GPA was a little lower than the weighted GPA she was expecting. Not greatly lower, maybe 1/4 point.
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One other thing to keep in mind is housing. WHEN your son gets his acceptance, you will want to accept it right away and immediately apply for housing.
UCF’s housing system is very complicated, but much of it depends on the acceptance date of his housing application.
When you get to that point, let me know and I’ll explain it to you.
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Thanks so much for the advice!
Everyone else has covered everything! I agree with applying to Summer and use UCF’s application instead of common app if possible. Also, he should do the essay and pick the why UCF question. This was advice we got when D applied several years ago from an admissions person. Do the application and get test scores and all materials in ASAP- D applied the day applications opened!
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Where do acceptances eventually show up? In their Knights Portal? Or their own email?
That may depend on when and how you applied, and it may have changed since my D went through this process prior to HS graduation in 2020.
My D applied normally for Fall, and also applied for UF, FSU, FIU, and USF at the same time. In her case, her notification was by email and it was a Summer acceptance. She received the formal acceptance via snail mail.
That said, I have seen numerous other posts from students whose first inkling of admission came through the MyUCF portal.
If you apply for Fall and get Summer, that is a NO for Fall. So don’t decline Summer hoping to get Fall. An offer of Summer admission on a Fall application is an automatic NO for everything if you decline summer.
The other thing to understand about Summer admission is that it’s for Summer B, which starts after HS graduation, and requires only ONE ONLINE class taken during Summer B. You are then IN for Fall, and I think my D enrolled for Summer B and Fall at the same time. Easy peasy, and UCF’s best-kept secret.
You should also be aware that there are other types of Summer admissions, including some which require on-campus, in-person attendance. Those admissions are for students they think would benefit from a little extra preparation, and the programs are excellent.
Again, if you get one of those offers, they are hard NO’s for Fall if you decline.
Keep in mind that I’m talking about my D’s experience in 2019-2020 and you folks are talking about 2022-2023.
If you have any uncertainty about the process, pick up the phone and CALL (not email) Undergraduate Admissions.
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It appeared on the Knights portal before D got an email. I think they tell you to check it. This was 2017 for Fall class 2018- the first acceptances started around September 1, then a couple of hurricanes hit, so the school was dealing with that. D got her acceptance Sept 22, by checking the portal. She was a full IB kid with a crazy high GPA, but a low SAT- I think 1230???
I have no way to confirm, but I suspect that UCF has a computer pull by numbers (GPA and SAT/ACT) so the lower that is, the longer it can take. I’ve watched the acceptance board here since 2015, so I saw trends over the years.
@SAINTSFAN834 Does he have a major in mind?
He is leaning towards Pharmacy or Psychology.
Getting in touch with undergraduate admissions has proven to be quite the challenge. Last week I left my number for someone to call me back and I got a student worker who was unable to answer any questions. Today I have been on hold now for over 2 hours and unable to get anyone to answer.
Try them again about Sept 1.
This week is move-in week, so office staffing will be minimal. Next week is the first week of class, so they will be swamped with drop/add class changes.
Things will settle down the following week, but you might actually be better off waiting until after Labor Day weekend. You have time.
You will find them very helpful, but it can be hit or miss during crazy busy periods like these two weeks. It’s equally crazy during the big enrollment crush each semester.
Finally got someone to answer after 2.5 hours. She was very nice but did not want to give any definitive answers. Everything was “it depends” so not sure if online courses allowed to meet Summer B requirements or not. I guess I understand that they do not want to risk being wrong. Guess we just have to decide whether to apply summer or fall and let the chips fall.
Right – the answer to most of your questions really IS “it depends!”
If you apply for Fall admission, you will get one of the following answers:
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Admitted for Fall
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Admission denied
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Regular summer admission, which is to Summer B with only one online course required. (My D’s type of admission)
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Some kind of contingent summer admission. Since your son is graduating in 2023, he would actually start in Summer B because Summer A starts before his graduation.
I don’t know all the details of what I call “contingent” admission, but they are usually called something like “bridge” or “path/pathway.” Some of them require in-person, on-campus attendance during Summer B and they have specific curriculum designed to support and bolster the student’s success in the Fall.
UCF has tons of “student success resources,” and those summer courses are one of them. That emphasis on student success is one of the big advantages of UCF being such a large university, and those “bridge” courses are really helpful from everything I’ve read.
Application submitted last night. Working on SPARK form today to submit. The waiting begins!
@JimDadinmia Can you please share your housing tips? My son was just accepted. We plan to visit from OOS this fall, but on paper it’s a top contender. Also, do you have any insight (pro or con) about Burnett Honors College?
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