Commitment to Diversity

The College of Graduate Studies is dedicated to and benefits from a student population diverse in background, culture, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and work and life experiences that contribute to a fuller representation of perspectives within the academic life of the university. As part of a larger institutional commitment to promoting a diverse student body, we encourage applications from all sectors of society, including prospective graduate students whose life experiences may include the challenge of access due to a disability. In support of this graduate context, we are also actively working toward establishing and utilizing a holistic review of all our graduate applicants. Research shows that this admissions practice increases the diversity of the graduate applicant pool.

As part of our long-standing commitment to increasing the diversity and quality of our graduate student body as per our institutional missions, the College of Graduate Studies works to:

• Enroll a student population whose family income reflects the distribution of the region.
• Enroll a student population that reflects the demographic distribution of the region.
• Enroll students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
• Establish efforts through graduate education to solve significant community challenges such as hunger, homelessness, public health, or quality of life.
• Develop university activities and partnerships that can diversify the region’s economy.
• Provide students with sufficient funding to complete their graduate studies in a timely manner.

UCF also adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, in prohibiting discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability. Any student with a disability may voluntarily self-report the nature of the disability and identify needed accommodations to the Office of Institutional Equity.