Quad

Head-to-head

U. Central Florida
U. South Florida

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Central Florida's yield is 10 pts higher than U. South Florida's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Central Florida has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. South Florida

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    U. Central Florida's SAT midpoint is 50 points higher than U. South Florida's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    U. South Florida is more diverse (index 0.73 vs. 0.70)

    Diversity index
  5. 5

    U. Central Florida has 3 pts more Pell recipients than U. South Florida (32% vs. 29%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    U. South Florida graduates 3 pts more of its students than U. Central Florida (75% vs. 72%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Central Florida admits 40%, U. South Florida 43%; U. Central Florida's yield is higher, at 34%.

Acceptance rate
U. Central Florida40%
U. South Florida43%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Central FloridaVery selective
  • U. South FloridaVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Central Florida
1200–1350
U. South Florida
1130–1320
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Central FloridaRigor, GPA, and tests very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. South FloridaGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

U. Central Florida has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. South Florida and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Central Florida59.1K
U. South Florida37.2K
Pell Grant share
U. Central Florida32%
U. South Florida29%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at U. Central Florida, and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at U. South Florida.

Students per faculty member
U. Central Florida28 to 1
U. South Florida22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Central FloridaPsychology, General10%
  • U. South FloridaHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General11%

What each costs

U. Central Florida costs about $1.1K less a year than U. South Florida on average; grants cover the same share of the price at both, 32%.

Average cost, all students
U. Central Florida$17.6K
U. South Florida$18.8K
Aid generosity
U. Central Florida32%
U. South Florida32%

What each pays off

U. Central Florida's former students earn more, a median $58.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Central Florida$58.3K
U. South Florida$57.7K
Graduation rate
U. Central Florida72%
U. South Florida75%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Central FloridaGrowing+85%
  • U. South FloridaGrowing+174%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Central Florida Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;University of Central Florida Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why