Posted Thursday, January 16, 2025 @ 3:08 PM More than 98% of first-time-in-college students returned to UCF in Spring 2025, continuing a six-year trend of increasing retention rates. The Fall ’24 to Spring ’25 rate of 98.41% is a new record and represents three consecutive years above 98%. Six years ago (’18-’19) the rate was 97.2%. The record is a dividend of ongoing work to remove typical barriers for first-year students through personal, relational assistance. For instance, reclassifying advisors as academic success coaches (ASC) made strong progress in 2024. Beginning Spring 2025, every undergraduate student now has an assigned ASC dedicated to not only class selection but long-term goal setting and action steps. Working in tandem with the ASC community are a smaller team of academic advocates using predictive data to pinpoint at-risk students. These academic advocates will also have an assigned roster of undergraduate students in Spring 2025 to provide targeted outreach. “We look forward to our advocates getting to know their rosters and customizing support for each student,” says Senior Director of Academic Advocacy Lucas Noboa. The retention rate over the winter gap is typically a bellwether for the larger year-over-year statistics. UCF boasts one of the highest retention rates in Florida’s State University System (SUS), posting 92% or higher in the past four out of five years. UCF’s current target for first-year retention is 93% and a strong showing midway through the year is a good indicator of where that rate will fall in August 2025, Noboa says. The new record represents more than a benchmark, though. Almost 7,000 new Knights returning to UCF after their first semester signals “they believe UCF is where they want to be,” Noboa says. “UCF is where students go to transform their aspirations into achievements. We are excited to partner with our students to help them fully unleash their potential,” Noboa says. Like Tweet Share < Back to News