UCF is not just known for being one of the biggest universities in the USA, but also for its affordable UCF courses and University of Central Florida scholarships. Pursuing a UG or PG program at UCF will cost you around 35,000 USD - 40,000 USD, which is a lot economical compared to several other universities in the USA. It is maybe because of its affordability that the international students, on an US student visa, are eligible for limited (yet substantial) University of Central Florida Scholarships.
While overseas students are not offered any federal student aid or specific international scholarships, students are encouraged to complete a “Florida Financial Aid Application”. This way, they will be automatically considered for all the eligible UCF scholarships. Financial aid opportunities through the University of Central Florida scholarships allows students to get various faculty-based scholarships.
The UCF scholarships are available to both incoming and continuing students at the University of Central Florida. To explore the University of Central Florida Scholarships, students can use “Access 2 opportunities”, UCF’s online scholarship application system. By completing this application, students will be considered for all the relevant UCF scholarships.
Check Out: University of Central Florida Scholarships (Spanish)
UCF College and Departmental Scholarships
Presently, there is just one scholarship at University of Central Florida which is available solely to international students: The Student Government Fall International Scholarship. This UCF scholarship is awarded to continuing students.
To be eligible for such University of Central Florida scholarships, international students are required to fulfill the following eligibility criteria:
Those who fulfill the eligibility requirements must complete the Student Government Fall International Scholarship application. To do that, you have to submit the documents given below:
- 1 LOR on official letterhead UCF faculty or staff member.
- A 250-word essay reflecting on your experience as a UCF international student.
Based on the eligibility and documents, four recipients will be selected, two each from UG and PG-level. Each Student Government Fall International Scholarship will receive 500 USD.
Apart from this scholarship, the majority of other University of Central Florida scholarships are offered to domestic and international, where preference is given to Florida-residents. Some of these UCF scholarships are tabulated below:
| Scholarship Name |
Benefits |
Eligible Program |
Application System |
| Knight’s Achievement |
Full-tuition fee |
All undergraduate program |
Auto-consideration |
| Omar Radwan Scholarship |
Varies |
UG/PG program in information technology, business, psychology, and environmental studies |
Yes |
| The Boeing Company Scholarship Fund |
Varies |
Any full-time UG program in College of Business Administration |
Yes |
| Pegasus Scholarship Waiver |
Full-tuition fee |
All undergraduate programs |
Auto-consideration |
| The Polson Family Scholarship |
Up to 2500 USD |
Any program at Burnett Honors College |
Yes |
UCF Scholarships Application Process
To apply for all the University of Central Florida Scholarships, centralized under UCF A2O (Access to opportunities) you have to follow a systematic process. Begin by visiting the UCF A2O official page, and sign in using your UCF NID and Password, assigned to you at the time of your admission to University of Central Florida.
The step-by-step process for the scholarship application given below:
Step I: After signing in logged you have to complete a short general application.
Step II: Once you have submitted the application, you will be matched with UCF scholarships for which you qualify.
Step III: Complete any additional requirements for the specific scholarships.
You will note several University of Central Florida Scholarships requires an additional essay or QnA. Make sure you complete those as well before the specified deadline, which varies for all scholarships.
Furthermore, students are advised to check their UCF A2O portal as there may be few additional scholarship opportunities available after the completion of General Scholarship Application.
UCF International students Receiving Scholarships
Recipients of the University of Central Florida scholarships will receive their scholarship awards at the beginning of the academic year. Prior to disbursement, awards for UCF international students are subject to NRA tax review by UCF global.
Specific IRS forms and immigration documents must be submitted at the beginning of each academic session to UCF Global:
- Foreign National Information Form
- IRS Form W-8BEN or W-9
- Treaty Paperwork (if applicable)
It is significant for all the applicants and recipients to adhere to these norms as failing to do so will result in the rejection of all UCF scholarships.
UCF Curricular Practical Training Scholarship
The Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Scholarship is an internship program designed for the temporary benefit of international students. Students pursuing bachelors and masters program in University of Central Florida, who are academically recommended are required to enroll in a one-credit hour internship course offered via Experiential Learning.
This funding enables UCF Global to cover the tuition associated with enrollment in the one-credit hour Experiential Learning course for students applying for CPT in the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters. Students must note that this scholarship program is different from other University of Central Florida scholarships.
The CPT internship can be performed either part-time or full-time during Spring, Fall, and Summer terms:
| Part-time |
Full-time |
| 20 hrs per week |
21-40 hrs per week |
| working hrs do not affect OPT |
Students with 365+ days of FT CPT at same academic level are ineligible for OPT |
| Students can continue working on-campus up to 20 hrs per week |
Students can’t work on-campus while on FT CPT |
To be eligible for this scholarship at University of Central Florida, you have to fulfill the following requirements:
- Must be in a valid F-1 student visa status
- Enrolled in a full-time degree program for a minimum of one academic year.
- Pursuing a degree-granting program.
- Employment must be an integral part of an applicant’s curriculum and related to the primary field of study.
Recipients must note that their internship program must be off-campus. However, this condition can be reviewed by the official on a case-by-case basis.
These are the University of Central Florida Scholarships which are available for international students. Seeing the scholarship opportunities, it is suggested that students seeking financial aid must look for scholarships in their home country. For instance, Indian students are applying for scholarship programs like
- Fulbright scholarship,
- JN Tata Endowment Scholarship for Higher Education,
- Debesh Kamal Scholarship, and many more.
Nonetheless, remember that the UCF selects recipients for more than 200+ scholarship programs. If your academic grades outstanding and you have a good overall profile, you will receive one or the other University of Central Florida scholarships.
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