ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida announced Monday it has met standards to be designated as a “preeminent state research university,” which, in part, would lead to increased funding and recognition.

“At a university of nearly 70,000 students, this accomplishment is truly remarkable and unprecedented at our scale,” UCF President Alexander Cartwright said in a prepared statement. “Like every milestone before, it enables us to do even more to transform lives at scale, propel innovation and fuel Florida’s workforce.”

The announcement said that one of the standards to qualify for the state designation is a 60 percent four-year graduation rate.

This summer, UCF reached a four-year graduation rate of 63.8 percent, the Orlando-based university said. UCF needs to complete step

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