Student Services
The mission of the Division of Student Affairs is to educate students to be leaders through the creation of an enriching university environment and the delivery of critical support services that maximize student development and learning. The division promotes opportunities for student engagement and discovery resulting in citizens who excel in a global and complex socitey. As members of an inclusive society, our values shape how we work; they include excellence, leadership and service, exploration and creativity, respect for others, diversity and well-being. We are a community of caring individuals who constantly look for creative ways to engage students and to support their college experience.
The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, located in 155 Tigert Hall, has administrative responsibility for the Career Resource Center, Center for Leadership and Service, Counseling and Wellness Center, Dean of Students Office, Florida Opportunity Scholars Program, GatorWell Health Promotion Services, Housing and Residence Education, J. Wayne Reitz Union, Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, Off Campus Life, Recreational Sports, Student Activities and Involvement, and Student Legal Services.
Campus Facilities
On 2,000 acres, most of it within the limits of a 125,000-population urban area, the university operates out of close to 1,000 buildings, almost 200 of them equipped with classrooms and laboratories. Facilities are valued at more than $1.5 billion. Notable among these are the Brain Institute, the physics building, University Art Gallery, a microkelvin laboratory capable of producing some of the coldest temperatures in the universe, a 100-kilowatt training and research nuclear reactor, the second largest academic computing center in the South, and a self-contained intensive-care hyperbaric chamber for treating near-drowning victims.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history/anthropology museum in the Southeast and one of the top 10 in the nation. Its research collections contain nearly 6.5 million specimens.
The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, with 18,000 square feet of exhibit space, is one of the largest museums in the Southeast. The Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts attracts world-class symphony orchestras, Broadway plays, operas, and large-scale ballet productions to Gainesville.
The Stephen C. O’Connell Center and the J. Wayne Reitz Union provide space for a myriad of student and faculty activities. One thousand persons can participate simultaneously in eight recreational activities in the O’Connell Center, which is home to the Gator basketball, volleyball, swimming and gymnastics teams. More than 20,000 people use the J. Wayne Reitz Union daily for various activities.
Campus Safety and Security
The University of Florida is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the nation. The university community is not unlike many other municipalities, and as such, has the same safety and security concerns as any-town USA.
The University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) recognizes that it must maintain the safest and most secure environment possible for all students, faculty and staff, and campus visitors. The UFPD has the utmost concern for personal and property safety, but with an open campus environment, safety becomes a shared responsibility.
The UFPD is a state of Florida and nationally accredited law enforcement agency. There are more than 90 fully certified and sworn officers who patrol the UF campus and its surrounding properties 24 hours per day, every day. The department has its own Criminal Investigations Division employing highly trained detectives to investigate any reported crime on campus. The officers of the Uniformed Patrol Division are highly trained campus law enforcement professionals who are equipped with the most contemporary crime-fighting techniques and tools. The Community Services Division is proactive in providing everyone in the campus community with the very latest information regarding personal and property protection through classes, programs and documents.
For more information, contact Capt. Jeff Holcomb, public information officer, 352-392-1409, or visit UFPD.
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The CRC provides comprehensive career exploration, career planning and job search services to UF students in all majors. Students can use the center's resources throughout their entire collegiate experience. Individual counseling, for-credit courses, workshops, internships, cooperative education experiences and career fairs help students prepare for fulfilling careers.
The center's career fairs are the largest in the state, attracting recruiters from hundreds of organizations who come to campus every fall and spring to hire UF candidates for internships and full-time positions.
Visit the CRC to access resources to
The Counseling and Wellness Center provides counseling, consultation and crisis intervention services to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students and their spouses/partners. These services include individual, couples and group counseling; outreach programs and consultations; classes/guest lectures and research; and an extensive professional training program for mental health professionals. All of the Center’s programs and services are designed to help students develop the personal awareness and skills necessary to take advantage of the educational opportunities at the university.
The Dean of Students Office provides programs and services to support students' academic success and personal development. Specific program and service areas include:
- Disability Resources — provides academic accommodations for students who are registered with the Dean of Students Office
- Emergency Response — coordinates the university’s response to student emergencies and crises
- New Student and Family Programs — organizes first-year experience and new student programs including new student orientation
- Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution — administers the university's student conduct code and academic honesty guidelines
- Medical Withdrawals — conducts exit interviews and the petitions process for students who withdraw from the university for medical reasons
Gator Dining is the official food service provider for the university. There are more than 35 dining locations on campus, including many national franchises like Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A and Einstein’s Bagels. There are also nutritious and vegetarian options as well as special treats like yogurt smoothies, gourmet coffees and chocolate chip cookies.
Gator Dining Services offers two types of meal plans: the all campus meal plan and the regular declining balance account.
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GatorLink, Gator 1 and the UFID
GatorLink establishes a unique computer identity for every student. The GatorLink account provides access to all online services and creates the UF "username@ufl.edu" email address where official university communications are sent.
Gator 1 card is the official university photo ID. The ID Card Services office is located on the ground floor of the UF Bookstore and Welcome Center complex on Museum Road. All enrolled students, faculty and staff must have this card to
- Enter CIRCA computer labs, university libraries, the infirmary, recreation centers
- Sign up for intramural sports activities
- Participate in the textbook deferment program at the UF Bookstore
- Purchase tickets to university events
- Vote in student government elections
- Purchase food on campus with a Gator Dining or prepaid vending account
- Use laundry facilities in some residence halls, and
- Use as an ATM/debit card when activated through Wachovia Bank.
UFID is an eight-digit number that serves as the primary identifier for all university records and transactions. Similar to a social security number, no two people will have the same number, and each person has only one. The UFID is assigned by the university, not chosen as you would a PIN. All students, faculty and staff have UFIDs, and the number is printed on the Gator 1 card.
The Department of Housing and Residence Education provides well-maintained, community-oriented facilities where students live in single-student residence halls. Married students and their families and graduate students live in apartment-housing villages.
Beginning Freshmen: Freshmen entering the university during the summer term(s) must live on campus during the summer to be eligible for continued housing. Residence hall contracts are available for academic year (fall/spring semesters), spring semester only and the summer terms.
Applying for campus housing does not guarantee an offer of residence hall space. If space is available, admitted students will receive an email link to the online residence hall contract process. To secure campus housing, the student must print a Contract ID form, sign it and return it with an advance rent payment by the deadline.
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The Office for Student Financial Affairs (SFA) administers financial aid programs and provides financial assistance and counseling. SFA awards aid according to financial need — the difference between current educational costs and what the individual student can pay toward these costs.
Financial aid is money provided to students and their families as gift aid (scholarships, grants) or self-help programs (loans and/or work) to help pay college costs. Financial aid can be awarded singly (one type of aid) or as a package.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance and financial need. Most academic scholarships are awarded through the UF Office of Admissions and individual UF colleges. SFA administers a limited number of scholarships from private donors.
Grants are awarded for financial need. The largest grant program at UF is the Federal Pell Grant. Other grants include Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Academic Competitiveness Grants, National SMART Grants, the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grants, Turner Grants and UF Graduate Grants.
Loans. Loan programs for undergraduates include: Federal Direct Stafford loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loans, Federal Perkins Loans and UF institutional loans. These programs offer long-term, low-interest loans that must be repaid when the borrower graduates, withdraws or drops to less than half-time enrollment. Parents of dependent undergraduate students can take out educational loans through the Federal Direct PLUS loan program. Graduate students can take out educational loans through the Federal Grad PLUS loan program.
Student Employment. Federal Work-Study jobs may be awarded by SFA to students with demonstrated financial need as part of an aid package. Other job programs, such as OPS employment, do not require financial need and are open to any student with the desire to work who meets the basic criteria of half-time enrollment and a 2.0 GPA. Student jobs usually are 15-20 hours a week and pay at least minimum wage.
When to Apply: Applications are available January 1 each year. Although SFA cannot award financial aid until students have been admitted to UF, they should apply for aid as soon as possible after January 1. Students are considered for aid according to the date their aid file is complete. Federal Pell Grants, Federal Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG), Federal SMART Grants, Federal Direct Stafford Loans and OPS employment are open throughout.
March 15 is UF's on-time deadline for financial aid application. SFA must receive students' application information from the federal need analysis processor by March 15 in order to be considered for Federal Work Study, Federal Perkins loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Turner Grants and institutional (UF) loans. Financial aid at UF is awarded first-come, first-served. Students missing the deadline will only be considered for aid remaining after on-time students have received their awards.
Financial Aid Academic Progress Requirements: UF students receiving financial aid are required to be in good standing and to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
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Recreational Sports ensures opportunities are available for every student to participate in athletic or recreational activities. Programs and services include nearly 40 sport clubs; an aquatics program; an intramural sports program; Lake Wauburg with boating, volleyball and a team development course; and a variety of fitness programs such as strength training seminars, group fitness classes, personal training and fitness assessments.
New Students - General Information and Helpful Links (Appointments, Hours and Locations, Excuse Notes, Fees for Services and more)
The Student Health Care Center (SHCC), established in 1906, is an accredited outpatient clinic staffed by licensed, board-certified medical providers who pride themselves on keeping UF’s students, faculty and staff healthy through a variety of primary and specialty care services, including general medical care, immunizations, dermatology, massage therapy, nutrition, occupational medicine, physical therapy, sports medicine, travel, women’s health and workers compensation. The SHCC also conducts the annual campus influenza (flu) shot campaign.
All registered UF students paying the tuition-included health fee may access SHCC services. If a student takes time off (for example, no summer classes), they must pay the per-semester optional health fee to receive care, which covers the costs associated with most SHCC office visits, but is not considered health insurance. Items not covered by the health fee that patients are financially responsible for include, but are not limited to health insurance, hospital visits, external community providers/facilities, physicals, procedures, X-rays, lab tests, medical equipment, prescriptions, non-prescription medications, vaccinations, massage and physical therapy.
In addition to university-sponsored insurance plans, the SHCC can direct-bill many private insurance companies for covered medical charges. Visit the SHCC’s Health Insurance Options for more information on private insurance usage and verification, as well as current university-sponsored insurance details.
The University of Florida Bookstores are located in the UF Welcome Center on Museum Road just next to the student union, in the Health Science Center and in the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF Bookstores offer new and used textbooks, school supplies, gifts and clothing. Bookstore programs include textbook reservations and a 50% guaranteed book buyback.
UF Welcome Center is within the main UF Bookstore next to the Reitz Union. The Welcome Center is maintained by the Office of Admissions and is the university's front door to visitors, providing weekday and Saturday information sessions and walking tours of campus.
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