Student achievement is at the very heart of all we do at UCF. The success of UCF’s students is a primary goal of our strategic plan, Unleashing Potential, and is a key initiative and investment for the university. In fact, UCF has identified improving student success as one of its top three priorities in its Accountability Plan submitted annually to the Florida Board of Governors. The annual Accountability Plan helps to align the strategic direction and priorities for each of Florida’s public universities with State University System-wide goals. These plans track several metrics for student achievement but individual universities have the opportunity to define their own local priorities. In that regard, while UCF invests heavily in student success for all student populations across the undergraduate and graduate levels, UCF has identified the following student achievement improvement priorities:
- Four-year graduation rate among full-time FTIC students
- Academic progress rate among full-time FTIC students
- Percentage of bachelor’s degrees awarded in Programs of Strategic Emphasis
- Percentage of graduate degrees awarded in Programs of Strategic Emphasis
- Percentage of bachelor’s degrees awarded to African-American and Hispanic students
- Doctoral degrees awarded annually
These priority areas are operationalized for measurement below along with corresponding goals and outcomes, as reported in the university’s 2024 Accountability Plan. UCF Accountability Plans, current and historical, address additional goals and measures of student achievement and are available for public access on the Florida Board of Governors’ website.
Student Achievement Priority Metrics
Four-Year Graduation Rate Trend (Full-time First Time in College students)
| 2015-19 | 2016-20 | 2017-21 | 2018-22 | 2019-23 | 2020-24 | 2021-25 | 2022-26 | 2023-27 | 2024-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 43.6 | 47.7 | 50.0 | 54.8 | 54.2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 46.8 | 48.0 | 50.1 | 53.0 | 56.0 | 59.0 | 62.0 | 65.0 | 65.0 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | – | – | – | 59.0 | 62.0 | 65.0 | 65.0 | 67.0 |
Academic Progress Rate (Second Fall Retention Rate with at Least a 2.0 GPA for Full-time FTIC students)
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 90.1 | 91.4 | 90.5 | 91.5 | 91.1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 88.9 | 90.3 | 90.5 | 91.0 | 91.0 | 91.5 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 92.0 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | – | – | – | 91.5 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 92.0 | 92.0 |
Percentage of Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2029-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 51.2 | 52.9 | 55.5 | 55.3 | 54.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 53.0 | 53.4 | 53.8 | 55.8 | 56.0 | 56.2 | 56.4 | 56.6 | 56.8 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | . | – | – | 56.2 | 56.4 | 56.6 | 56.8 | 56.8 |
Percentage of Graduate Degrees Awarded within Programs of Strategic Emphasis
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 61.2 | 60.5 | 57.9 | 56.0 | 60.3 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 63.0 | 63.4 | 60.0 | 60.1 | 60.2 | 60.3 | 60.4 | 60.4 | 60.4 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | – | – | – | 60.3 | 60.4 | 60.4 | 60.5 | 60.5 |
Percentage of Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded to African American and Hispanic Students
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 37.9 | 39.0 | 39.6 | 41.2 | 40.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 37.0 | 39.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 | 42.0 | 42.0 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | – | – | – | 41.0 | 41.0 | 42.0 | 42.0 | 42.0 |
Number of Doctoral Degrees Awarded Annually
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | 415 | 466 | 510 | 603 | 553 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Approved Goals | 455 | 470 | 480 | 520 | 525 | 530 | 535 | 540 | 540 | – |
| Proposed Goals | – | – | – | – | – | 530 | 535 | 540 | 540 | 540 |
SACSCOC Key Student Completion Indicator
UCF’s institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), is likewise deeply committed to ensuring continuous improvement on student achievement at its member institutions. In this regard, UCF monitors and reports to SACSCOC on its six-year graduation rate for full-time first-time-in-college students as reported annually to the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS). As part of its strategic planning effort, UCF set a future goal of 75% for the baccalaureate cohort beginning college at UCF in 2014-15. UCF came close to reaching its internal goal but fell short at 73.6 percent, which is still a strong performance relative to many peer institutions. Given UCF’s commitment to continuous improvement in this area, the university continues to invest in efforts to improve performance on this important metric, as detailed in its 2024 Accountability Plan.