UF is no longer largest in state as classes start

The University of Florida no longer has the state's largest university enrollment, falling below the University of Central Florida for the first time.

When registration closed last week, UF reported an enrollment of nearly 49,200 students. While the fall semester just started Monday and the number might grow, UF's enrollment still is expected to fall below UCF's expected enrollment of more than 52,000 students.

UF's freshman class is at its smallest size in a decade, and its overall enrollment could include as many as 3,000 fewer students than last year. UF Provost Joe Glover said the trend to limit enrollment helps improve the student-faculty ratio and also is an acknowledgment that campus infrastructure is at capacity.

"We have about as many undergraduates as we can handle," he said.

UCF, on the other hand, is expected to grow by as many as 1,750 students from last year's enrollment. UCF's growth is fueled by a record number of transfers, according to the university.

"We are truly committed to providing access to qualified students," said Al Harms, UCF's vice president for strategy, marketing, communications and initiatives.

Students say UF's higher standards have caused some to give UCF a second look. The most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings illustrate the difference between the schools: About three-quarters of UF's freshmen come from the top 10 percent of their high school class compared with about a third of UCF's freshmen.

UF freshman Jon Fethiere, 18, said some of his classmates at Gainesville's P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School chose to attend UCF because they couldn't get into UF, or chose not to apply because they knew they'd be denied. He applauded the trend in UF's enrollment, saying it showed an emphasis on quality rather than quantity.

"Bigger is not always better," he said.

UF officials have a similar take. The university has a goal of reducing enrollment by about 4,000 students from 2007 levels. The push includes reducing the number of admitted students as well as working to get students to graduate in four years and limiting the number of non-degree-seeking students.

Glover said UF is focused on limiting the number of students on campus. The university still could increase students in distance learning programs, he said, such as a new program allowing Santa Fe College students to earn UF business degrees.

UCF's enrollment has surged during the past decade, rising more than 60 percent. The latest figure put the university among the top three largest university campuses in the U.S., if figures stay similar at other schools. But Harms said there is no concerted effort to be among the nation's largest universities.

"I think people may overblow the significance of size," he said.

Glover said UF doesn't mind giving up the distinction of being the state's largest university.

"The University of Florida stands for quality first and foremost," he said. "I'm not trying to besmirch the University of Central Florida's reputation here, but quality is what we're after."