I’ve been a professional computer programmer for 30 years. My son also wants to obtain a BSCS and become a software engineer for a large corporation or federal government entity. He applied to and was accepted at UCF Burnett Honors College (full ride), UF Innovation Academy (full ride), and Florida Polytechnic University (full ride + $20,000 cash beyond full ride).
In our case, we have found substantial differences between UF and UCF, some of them pro’s and some of them con’s. I can’t comment on UMiami so my comments below exclude them.
- Reputation. Generally, most everyone I know gives points to UF for having a better overall academic reputation. Higher rankings in national surveys bear this out: UF is 150+ years old, has a huge network of hardcore gators, dominates in national collegiate sports, and has great professors and students. By contrast, UCF is 50 years old, is seen as rising in prominence but is also viewed as more of a regional university for "Average Joe" commuters. While the acceptance rate for both schools is slightly less than 50% of applicants, the typical ACT score is 27 at UCF vs 29 at UF so, on paper, the average student at UF is academically stronger than the average UCF.
- Education. Having looked at the curricula of both programs through my eyes as an experienced software engineer, I think that UCF's BSCS program graduates are stronger than UF's, for a few reasons: (1) Though the coursework is about the same, UCF administers a very difficult foundation exam at the end of the sophomore year that weeds out about 40% of the weakest students - sending them into other "less hard" majors - and which ensures only high-quality BSCS students in 3000- and 4000-level courses; (2) UCF's BSCS program is ABET accredited whereas UF's is not; (3) if you plan to pursue a Master's degree, UCF offers a 5-year BS/MSCS option that shaves a year off of the typical MSCS; and, (4) Very subjectively --and perhaps unfairly based on a relatively small sample size-- I have worked with a few dozen UCF and UF BSCS grads over the years and have never encountered a single incompetent UCF CS grad (the UCF foundation exam is the reason, I believe) but cannot say the same of several UF graduates. BTW, this is a risk: if you are one of the 40% who wash out on that foundation exam, you'd have been better off at UF where they don't require such an exam and where other majors are probably stronger than UCF's... but if you can pass that exam, you really have a good handle on the core of computer science..
- Environment. UCF has a large complex of modern industrial-looking buildings maintained in pristine condition in the eastern suburbs of Orlando. When you driving across campus, it's so well-maintained that it looks like you're visiting a Disney theme park. UF also has a beautiful, well-maintained campus consisting of a lot of older brick buildings and "traditional" college buildings in the midst of a dumpy college town. Dorms at UCF are much nicer; UF dorms are rated by its own students as among the worst in the nation. Winters in Gainesville are 5-10 degrees colder than Orlando. UF parties and social / Greek life are much better than UCF's, if that matters to you. There's a ton of school pride in the Gators brand whereas the Knights school pride just can't compete.
- Internship Opportunities. Located in a major metropolitan area, UCF has numerous huge corporate and government employers within a few miles of campus. Gainesville is a college town with relatively few local internship opportunities outside of the university itself.
- Money. You'll have to evaluate this. Though my son could walk out with $20,000 from Florida Polytechnic, his goal is to get the best computer science education possible that he can afford to cover entirely on his own without taking out any student loan debt.
In the end, my advice to my son has been to visit each of the schools, do lots of research, decide which factors are most important to him, and then select the school that he feels most comfortable with spending four years of his life attending. The reality is that America needs 500,000 more programmers in the next 20 years, so you cannot possibly make a wrong choice attending any of your chosen fine schools. My son is leaning towards UCF because of the stronger curriculum, but he plans to visit UF one more time just to be sure.
Good luck to you in your decision!