University of Florida Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The University of Florida, or UF, is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in Ocala in 1853, UF is the fourth-largest university in the United States with over 48,000 students. It also has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year) and is considered one of the top public universities in the United States, ranking second among public institutions in the number of National Merit Scholar students. Its current president is James Bernard Machen.
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2 Athletics 3 Alumni 4 See also 5 External links |
Academics
UF is divided into twenty-one colleges, which offer over 100 undergraduate majors and an equally wide array of 200 graduate degrees, including the only dentistry and veterinary medicine programs in the state.
Florida's programs are generally ranked highly among public universities, and the university was ranked as a Top Tier school by US News and World Reports for 2004. The graduate programs in chemistry and tax law, are consistently ranked among the best in the United States. UF's engineering programs are very well-funded, partly from royalties on the sale of an UF invention, Gatorade. The university is 13th among all universities - public and private - in the number of U.S. Patents awarded in 2000.
The acceptance rate at UF has slowly fallen over the past decade as more students apply. In 2004, the average incoming freshman had a weighted GPA of 4.0, an SAT score of 1290, and an ACT composite of 28. Undergraduate tuition is around $100 per credit for Florida residents, and $460 per credit for out-of-state students, with a typical load of 30 credits per year.
The school's sports teams are called the Gators. They compete in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I-A. Florida has one of the strongest collegiate athletic programs in the United States, and dedicates $44 million each year to its sports teams and facilities.
Football is the most important sport at UF, and the school's football team is typically ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA. Their most recent national championship was at the Sugar Bowl in 1996, under coach Steve Spurrier and quarterback Danny Wuerffel. The Gators under Spurrier were a national powerhouse, and have been coached by former Florida assistant Ron Zook since Spurrier's departure in 2001. Their traditional rivals are the Seminoles of Florida State University, the Bulldogs of the University of Georgia, and since the early 1990's the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee: UF usually plays UT in September, FSU in late November, and UGA in late October/early November in what has been billed "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party".
Basketball is also popular at UF, although it is not quite as popular as football. The UF basketball squad appeared in the 1994 Final Four and lost in the 2000 National Finals to Michigan State. They are currently coached by Billy Donovan, who has been the head coach of the Gators since 1995. Florida's primary men's basketball rival is traditional SEC basketball superpower Kentucky.
Famous UF alumni include:
This is an Article on University of Florida. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About University of Florida Athletics
Alumni
The University of Florida has more of its graduates in the United States Congress than any other university or college in the country - currently nine alumni serve in the House or Senate.See also
External links