On Aug. 15, a congregation of Gators moved onto UF’s campus. Among them was Isaiah Narain, an 18-year-old computer engineering freshman who was shocked when he received his acceptance letter.
“I remember just yelling, ‘Oh my gosh, I got into UF,’” Narain said.
Narain is one of over 7,000 freshmen starting UF this year, most of whom will study under the colleges of liberal arts and sciences, engineering, business, agricultural and life sciences and public health and health professions.
Narain said he chose his major because of the field’s high-paying jobs and his interest in coding and semiconductors.
Though UF was his first choice, he said he was preparing to attend the University of Central Florida because he didn’t believe he would be admitted.
And the numbers show the increasing competition.
Over the last six years, UF’s admissions rates have fallen from 42.5% in 2020 to 19.8% during the 2026 admissions cycle. UF is currently ranked No. 7 among public universities and No. 30 overall in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Narain believes UF will help advance his career because of its established partnerships with leading companies, he said.
In 2024, the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering made a $3 million partnership with Citi, a global financial company. Alumni have gone on to work for employers like Nike and Rolls-Royce.
For Emily Ladron de Guevara, an 18-year-old biology freshman, UF was appealing because it accepts Bright Futures, an academic scholarship that covers all or part of tuition costs for qualifying Florida residents attending in-state public schools.
For other students, UF’s over 300 degrees offered access to niche programs.
Shiloh Bruck, an 18-year-old nuclear engineering freshman, chose UF because it’s one of the few places in the country to offer their major.
“It’s really limited being able to find areas that have that,” Bruck said.
UF also has the only nuclear reactor research program in Florida, they said, so they viewed their admission as “a huge opportunity” to experience it. They see being a Gator as having an interest in the “well-rounded experience,” they added, putting equal emphasis on academics and recreation.
Reflecting on her own Gator experience eight years after graduation, 28-year-old computer science alumna Hannah Matthew said she attended UF because it gave her the opportunity to be “much more challenged.” Going to a college away from Orlando helped build her character, she said, and UF prepared her for a new experience.
“At the end of the day, I really had to consider the opportunity that UF gave,” Matthew said.
She said the best decision she made as an undergraduate was joining Women in Computer Science and Engineering, a student organization that allowed her to pursue professional opportunities like internships and scholarships while making friends and connecting with students in similar classes.
This is one of the more than 1,000 student organizations available for UF students. Others include professional organizations like the Material Advantage, a science and engineering group, or recreational clubs such as the Culinary Arts Student Union.
Now, Matthew works in cybersecurity for the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, where she specializes in application security. She advises first-year students to get involved in organizations that will advance their careers and allow them to explore what fields may be worth pursuing.
Matthew’s closing remark? “Go Gators!’’
Contact Alana Nguyen at anguyen@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @Alana_Nguyen12.
