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The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major research university located on a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) campus in Gainesville, Florida, in the United States. The university is one of 62 elected members of the Association of American Universities. The University of Florida was founded in 1853, and has been recognized as a “Public Ivy” UF is currently ranked 49th overall among national universities in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The University of Florida is a flagship university of the State University System of Florida and one of the largest universities in the United States, with 51,413 students as of fall 2008. It is the largest comprehensive university in the state of Florida and has one of the largest budgets in the United States at nearly $4.377 billion per year.UF is home to 17 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. As of the 2007-2008 academic year, UF ranked twelfth among all institutions in the number of new National Merit Scholar students enrolled.Researchers at the University of Florida developed the famous sports drink Gatorade.

The University of Florida offers many graduate programs—including engineering, business, law and medicine—on one contiguous site, and coordinates 123 master’s degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in 87 schools and departments.

University of Florida has a 2,000-acre campus and more than 900 buildings (including 170 with classrooms and laboratories). The northeast corner of campus is listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The University of Florida residence halls have a total capacity of some 7,000 students and the five family housing villages house more than 2,200 married and graduate students.

University of Florida has 16 colleges and more than 100 research, service and education centers, bureaus and institutes. More than 100 undergraduate majors are offered. Over 1,200 freshmen and sophomores participate in the honors program, which offers nearly 100 honors courses per semester. Most classes are limited to no more than 25 students.

The University of Florida offers many graduate programs—including engineering, business, law and medicine—on one contiguous site, and coordinates 123 master’s degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in 87 schools and departments.

The University Scholars Program introduces University of Florida undergrads to the exciting world of academic research by allowing them to work one-on-one with Florida faculty on selected research projects. The Graduate School coordinates almost 200 graduate programs. Professional degree programs include dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.

Many recreational activities available for students include indoor and outdoor sports, outdoor courts and playing fields on campus, in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, University Golf Course, Plaza of the Americas, the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, the Southwest Recreation Center, and the Florida Gymnasium for indoor sports. University of Florida offers intramural and club sports ranging from archery to weightlifting. Near the campus are many recreational lakes and rivers, including university-owned Lake Alice. In addition, student have access to the J. Wayne Reitz Union which is equipped with a bowling alley, pool tables, an arcade, and numerous other activities.

The University of Florida campus also contains open spaces, small ponds, picnic areas, shady nooks and an 81-acre wildlife sanctuary that provide opportunities to enjoy Florida’s year-round sunshine activity life.

Lastly, the University of Florida has more than seven hundred organizations and clubs for students to join. They range from cultural and athletic to subjects pertaining to philanthropy. If students wish they can create their own registered student organization if the current interest or concern is not addressed by the previously established entities.

Rankings

The University of Florida was ranked in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report as 49th overall among “National universities” in the United States. In addition U.S. News in 2009 ranked UF as one of the Top 10 most popular colleges in the United States, this ranking is determined by institutions with the highest yield rates. The 2007 Academic Ranking of World Universities list assessed the University of Florida as 51st among world universities and 38th in the United States based on overall research output and faculty awards. In the “2007 National College Ranking”, U.S.News & World Report America’s Best Colleges 2009 UF’s Overall Ranking Overall #35, Washington Monthly ranked the University of Florida 26th overall. For 2007, Newsweek ranked UF one of the “Top 25 Hottest Schools”. According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities in 2009, the University of Florida ranks 22nd best all around.

Another ranking by Research Center for Chinese Science Evaluation of Wuhan University ranks UF 37th in the world. The ranking is based on Essential Science Indicators (ESI), which provides data of journal article publication counts and citation frequencies in over 11,000 journals around the world in 22 research fields.

UF ranked 2nd among all universities in Kiplinger’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” (2006, 2007 & 2008) and 4th in The Scientist magazine’s “Best Places to Work in Academia” (2005); UF was also ranked the best overall in top values amongst all the public flagship universities by USA Today (2006). UF admitted 1,049 International Baccalaureate students for the 2004-2005 academic year – more than any other university in the world. The freshmen retention rate of 94 percent is among the highest in the U.S.

UF’s ranked college placement 13th best by “The Princeton Review” in its “2009 Best 368 Colleges Rankings”.

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