The University of Central Florida, or UCF, is a public university located in Orlando, Florida. Founded on June 10, 1963 as Florida Technological University, it assumed its current name on December 6, 1978.

UCF offers more than 230 degrees through 13 colleges at 10 regional campuses in Central Florida, including the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona Medical City, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in south Orlando and the UCF Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando. Since its founding, UCF has awarded more than 346,000 degrees, including over 60,000 graduate and professional degrees.

Its official colors are black and gold, and the university logo is Pegasus, which symbolizes the university's vision of limitless possibilities. The university's intercollegiate sports teams, known as the UCF Knights and represented by mascot Knightro, compete in NCAA Division I and the American Athletic Conference.

In August 2018, the state university system's Board of Governors and the Florida Legislature opened an investigation into the university for misuse of state funds. On September 13, 2018, UCF admitted to misappropriating money intended for educational and operating expenses to build the new $38 million Trevor Colbourn Hall, leading to the resignation of CFO Bill Merck.

During its brief history, UCF has hosted numerous notable speakers. Among these are U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, then senator and vice president Joe Biden, senators Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio, Mel Martinez, and John Edwards, Florida governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist, and First Lady Michelle Obama.