UCF's student-to-faculty ratio is twice the national average

Over the past two decades, the University of Central Florida’s enrollment has grown by more than 27,000 students. Faculty hiring hasn’t kept up.

That has left the Orlando school with a student-to-faculty ratio worse than any other Florida public university and, at 28 to 1, double the national average.

The impact? Large class sizes, a lack of in-person offerings, long waitlists to get into some courses, and — for many students — a longer road to a degree. And while the university has trimmed the imbalance over the last five years and says it hopes to do more, progress is slow in the face of complex financial challenges.

For years, UCF students have joked the school’s initials stand for “U Can’t Finish,” said Yois Morris-Calderon, a 19-year-old UCF student.

Morris-Calderon, a public rela