As UCF returns to pre-pandemic operations this fall, knowing what resources, support, and events are available for students can help you prepare for a great semester. Here’s a list of some of the many things Knights can take advantage of.
Academic Resources | Advising | Class Registration | COVID-19 | Dining Services and Food | Financial Aid | Health and Wellness | Parking and Transportation | Pegasus Palooza | Student Union | Technology | Textbooks | UCF Mobile App |
Academic Resources
The Student Academic Resource Center is available to help you succeed in your courses. Peer tutors, supplemental-instruction leaders and academic coaches are available to assist you in-person and online via Zoom at the main and downtown campuses.
All Knight Study is an on-campus resource that provides students a comfortable place to study and access to free printing, Scantrons and computers.
AKS’s main campus locations are located at Knights Plaza and Ferrell Commons. Throughout the semester it will be open seven days a week with reduced hours to allow for overnight sanitation. Please note these hours may be adjusted as needed:
- Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to midnight
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Group study rooms are closed and public-use computers in these facilities will be reduced to 50% capacity to encourage physical distancing, with staff sanitizing workstations once an hour as well as having sanitizing wipes available for students.
UCF expects that everyone, whether vaccinated or not, wear a mask indoors in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines.
You can use your UCF ID to redeem one free Scantron per day at the All Knight Study locations or in the new SG office in room 350 of the Student Union. Free green books are also available, but you are limited to four per semester.
The John C. Hitt Library — which has completed two phases of the 21st centaury renovation — as well as branch libraries at UCF Downtown and Rosen College of Hospitality Management, are open with varying hours per location. Students can access books, desktop computers, and printers and rent technology from the libraries. For more information on UCF Libraries operations and policies for fall, visit their website.
Advising
The Knights Major Exploration and Transition Center is available to assist students who have not declared or are exploring majors. The center will provide services remotely through this semester. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact the office via email at kmetc@ucf.edu.
For other advising appointments check your college’s website for specific advising office hours, availability and contact information.
Class Registration
Using myUCF, you can change your schedule during the first week — just keep deadlines in mind. The drop/swap and add deadlines fall on the same date this year, Friday, Aug. 27.
COVID-19 Precautions, Testing and Vaccines
With the highly transmissible Delta variant present in Central Florida, UCF expects that everyone, whether vaccinated or not, wear a mask indoors in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines. Wearing a mask protects you, your loved ones and your fellow Knights.
UCF encourages all eligible students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated if you are able to do so. The UCF Student Health Center is currently offering the Pfizer vaccine to students and employees. Appointments are available, and walk-ups are welcome. If you are currently away from campus, there are still plenty of opportunities for you to get vaccinated. Use this COVID-19 vaccine locator to find a place near you.
The COVID Self-Checker remains available in the UCF Mobile app and online as a tool for screening symptoms. All UCF visitors and vendors are encouraged to conduct symptom monitoring through the COVID Self-Checker before arriving on campus.
Free rapid testing for students is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Student Health Center. Walk-ins are available or call the COVID Line at 407-823-2509 to schedule an appointment.
Free drive-thru rapid testing is also available for students, faculty and staff in Garage A from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Drive-ups are accepted, or call the COVID Line at 407-823-2509 to schedule an appointment.
To find more information and the latest COVID-19 updates for the UCF community, visit ucf.edu/coronavirus.
Students, faculty and staff who test positive for the coronavirus should contact the UCF COVID Line at 407-823-2509.
Dining Services and Food
To see which dining options are open on main campus and UCF Downtown, visit the What’s Open page.
Students can also take advantage of mobile ordering for any UCF Dining Services establishment through the Grubhub app to reduce wait times inside restaurant spaces.
Payment for Fall 2021 meal plans are due Friday, Sept. 3. Students who need to change their meal plan can downgrade their membership by Friday, Aug. 27 or request a cancelation by Friday, Sept. 20.
Students in need can still access free groceries from Knights Pantry, which is located in Ferrell Commons on main campus Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday noon to 5 p.m.
Financial Aid
Students who are not anticipated to receive financial aid for Fall 2021 must meet the tuition payment deadline of Friday, Sept. 3. Students who are anticipated to receive financial aid (awards have either been distributed already or are listed as pending in myUCF) for Fall 2021 have a deferred deadline for tuition of Friday, Oct. 29.
Before reaching out to the Office of Student Financial Assistance, you should check your email and myUCF account and complete any items on your to-do list. If you have successfully completed the financial aid process, including confirmation of academic activity for each of your courses during the first week, you can expect your approved aid to be disbursed during the second week of classes.
For information on financial aid, read our guide here. The financial aid help videos cover topics such as the types of financial aid, how to fill out the FAFSA, understanding your to-do list and more, which can help answer many questions without speaking to someone directly.
UCF’s Office of Student Financial Assistance is offering walk-in counseling session in person and appointments for virtual sessions Appointments can be scheduled online at ucf.edu/financial-aid/appointments. Students may also contact the office by email at finaid@ucf.edu or via phone at 844-376-9160.
Due to limited availability, appointments should be reserved for information not accessible through myUCF or the financial aid website. Appointments are available for booking up to two weeks in advance.
Health and Wellness
Student Health Services currently provides telehealth as well as direct, in-person appointments for care at the Health Center on main campus, College of Medicine clinic and the Downtown/UnionWest clinic. To schedule an appointment at any of these locations, call 407-823-2701.
Fall 2021 Hours of Operation (effective Aug. 21):
- Main campus health center: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- UCF Downtown UnionWest clinic: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- College of Medicine clinic: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The pharmacy, located in the main campus Student Health Center, is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can pick up prescriptions and over-the-counter items in person or schedule for delivery. For more information, about the pharmacy and other Student Health Services, visit this UCF Today story.
The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center, RWC @ Knights Plaza and RWC @ Downtown are open and have resumed pre-pandemic operations. Students are encouraged to wear masks while inside these facilities.
Counseling and Psychological Services offers free services for students who are currently enrolled and located in Florida. CAPS is now offering both in-person and Telemental Health appointments. To reach CAPS by phone, call 407-823-2811.
UCF students also have free access to Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), a self-guided interactive, web-based program that provides assistance to overcome anxiety, depression and other concerns. The tool walks students through short, helpful videos, brief exercises and how to log their progress.
CAPS also offers group workshops on a variety of topics, and this semester they’ll be offering those in virtual formats, too. See here for that schedule.
Parking and Transportation
Important parking and transportation information can be found in the parking and transportation guide.
Please note:
- If you do not have a valid permit and are planning to park on campus, please purchase a one-semester or multi-semester permit from Parking and Transportation Services. If you are not planning to be on campus frequently, you can also purchase virtual daily permits.
- Park and Ride services on the main campus have resumed for Fall 2021. Park and Ride operates 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from lot E5 (adjacent to softball lot E4) to the Research 1 Transit Center (near parking garage C).
- Spin scooters will be available to help students better navigate the university’s 1,415-acre main campus. The scooters will operate from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., will only be operational on campus, and require downloading the Spin app, which is available on Androidand Apple
- The Health Sciences/Lake Nona campus shuttle now operates Monday through Friday from 7:20 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Ronald Blocker Avenue is now a one-way street traveling north only so there has been a change in the traffic pattern for entering and exiting UCF Downtown’s Amelia I parking garage. Watch the video below for further directions.
Pegasus Palooza
This year’s week-long celebration welcomes students to the fall semester with a mix of virtual and physically distant in-person events.
It all begins Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. during the carnival-themed Welcome Event in the John T. Washington Center. The Knighting, UCF’s official convocation event, will take place Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Addition Financial Arena. Other welcome events include Movie Knight, Comedy Knight and Concert Knight.
For more information and the full schedule, visit this UCF Today story.
Student Union
In Fall 2020, renovations for the Student Union — the Heart of Campus — were completed. The Union now features expanded dining options, including Bento Sushi on the first floor and a full-service Starbucks on the second floor, with additional space and seating.
Technology
Current students can also access free software — such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more — on any computer through UCF Apps. Connect to UCF Apps through a web browser or visit your mobile device’s app store to download the free Citrix Receiver app. For more information on how to install and use UCF Apps click here.
If you’re having technical issues or don’t own a desktop computer, you can use public ones at the John C. Hitt Library or in the computer labs in Tech Commons I, Tech Commons II, and Classroom Building I. You can also rent MacBooks and Dell laptops from UCF Libraries.
Beginning Fall 2021, students can use their UCFID to check out laptops using the self-service kiosk in on the first floor of Classroom Building I. This kiosk will dispense four-hour short-term loaner laptops that hosts the same full suite of software, including Microsoft 365, Adobe CC and LinkedIn Learning, available on computers in student labs on campus.
Textbooks
To find out how to save money on textbooks, read our guide here. Some options include using e-books, textbook lending and taking advantage of the on-campus bookstore’s price-matching offer. You can also check Facebook groups, such as “Class of 2025,” to find books other students are selling.
UCF Mobile App
The UCF Mobile app is one of the best resources for support. Here you can quickly and easily access your myUCF account, online courses, Knights email, an event calendar, emergency alerts and more. The app also helps you get around with a module that tracks the shuttles in real time and another with an interactive campus map.
The COVID Self-Checker remains available in the UCF Mobile app as a tool for screening symptoms.
UCF Downtown and Rosen College of Hospitality Management students can also select their respective campuses for their app experience to get information, services and details specific to their locations.