The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Its campus comprises 1,300 acres amid a natural preserve on Jacksonville's Southside. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

UNF was established in 1965 and began offering classes in 1972. UNF was initially designated an upper division college for juniors and seniors. It began admitting freshmen in 1984. UNF is organized into six colleges, five of which offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including doctoral degree programs, with noted business, coastal biology, nursing, nutrition, and music programs. Most students reside off campus, though there are six areas of on-campus housing. In 2006, the Social Sciences building became the first facility to be LEED-certified in northeast Florida, as well as the first "green" building on campus. As of 2010, five buildings on campus have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The university has over 200 clubs and organizations for students as well as an active student government and Greek life. The student-run newspaper The Spinnaker is published monthly. The university's intercollegiate athletics teams are known as the Ospreys, and are members of the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I.

History UNF PresidentsThomas G. Carpenter1969–1980Andrew Robinson (interim)1980–1982Curtis L. McCray1982–1988Roy E. McTarnaghan (interim)1988–1989Adam W. Herbert1989–1998E. K. Fretwell (interim)1998–1999Anne H. Hopkins1999–2002A. David Kline (interim)2002–2003John A. Delaney2003–2018David Szymanski2018–2021Pamela S. Chally (interim)2021–2022Moez Limayem2022-2026Angela Garcia Falconetti (interim)2026-present

The university was founded in 1969 after midway between downtown Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Beaches were set aside for the campus, of which were donated by the Skinner family of Jacksonville.Patton, Charlie. (November 23, 2000) "Piney Woods Miracle: Skinner family turned land into legacy". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. Until this time, the only publicly funded institution of higher learning in the city was Florida Junior College. Construction on classrooms and buildings began in 1971 and UNF opened in the fall of 1972 with an initial enrollment of 2,027 juniors, seniors and graduate students, supported by 117 faculty and more than 150 staff."UNF 35th Anniversary". UNF. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. Originally, like the other Florida state institutions opened around this time, UNF was designated as a "senior" college, meaning it would enroll only upperclassmen and graduate students.

UNF graduated 35 students in 1973. The school was quick to expand and it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1974. The school's mascot, the osprey, was adopted in November 1979 over other choices such as the armadillo, the manatee and the seagull.Warner, Gary. "How the Osprey Became UNF's Mascot". UNF. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. The male and female versions of the mascot are known as Ozzie and Harriet.

In 1980, there was a legislative effort to merge UNF with the University of Florida but a bill proposing this was vetoed by Governor Bob Graham. Freshmen and sophomores were admitted for the first time in 1984. Enrollment at UNF exceeded 10,000 in 1995,"Creating a University: Timeline (1990-1999) ". UNF Oral History Project. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. and in the spring of 2000 it broke its commencement record, graduating over 1,000 students."Creating a University: Timeline (2000-2009) ". UNF Oral History Project. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

The 2000s saw significant development on campus as many new buildings including the Social Science building, Science and Engineering building, College of Education and Human Services building, Fine Arts Center, the John A. Delaney Student Union, and Osprey Fountains residence hall were built. In 2002, a 13-member Board of Trustees began work to oversee UNF. Former mayor of Jacksonville John Delaney was appointed President of the university in 2003.

UNF was officially reclassified as an NCAA Division I school for its athletics programs in 2009."Reclassification Complete, NCAA Leadership Council Elected University of North Florida to Division I Active Membership Status ". UNF Official Athletics Site. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

Campus

UNF's campus is near the intersection of I-295 (East Beltway) and SR-202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard), two major expressways in the Jacksonville area. UNF has 28 major buildings and six housing facilities on campus. Many of the buildings bear the names of individuals who have made significant contributions to the university. These buildings include the Coggin College of Business, the John E. Mathews, Jr. Computer and Information Sciences Building, and J. J. Daniel Hall. In addition, the library bears the name of the university's first president, Thomas G. Carpenter. The Green is a central open grassy area on the campus popular with students.

The Social Sciences building, which opened in the fall of 2006, became the first Northeast Florida facility to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Also the first "green" building on campus, it received the 2007 Award of Excellence for University Building by the Southeast Construction Company for Energy and Environmental Design."UNF's social sciences building gets recognition ". (January 12, 2008.) The Florida Times Union. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. There is also a state-protected wildlife and bird sanctuary featuring miles of nature trails and numerous lakes and ponds on and around campus.

The size of the campus has grown to . In the fall of 2007, the university began offering a shuttle service between campus locations including the dorms, UNF Hall, the parking lots, Carpenter Library, and the UNF Arena.Diener, Sarah. (August 22, 2007.) "On-campus shuttle routes open ". The Spinnaker. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

A new Biological Sciences building opened in the spring of 2012. A new Student Wellness Center opened in the fall of 2012, replacing the Dottie Dorion Fitness Center."". Retrieved on October 10, 2012. An addition to the College of Education and Human Services was completed in December 2011. A new multi-story dining hall has been completed in the fall of 2012. All four buildings are expected to be LEED-certified.

Thomas G. Carpenter Library

The Thomas G. Carpenter Library, or building 12, is named after the university's first president, Thomas G. Carpenter. Groundbreaking began on August 8, 1978, and was completed on October 1, 1980."UNF From the Ground Up: Named Buildings, Colleges, and Sites; Thomas G. Carpenter Library ". UNF Library: Special Collections. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

Construction to expand the library by adding a four-story addition began in May 2004. This addition added and increased the capacity of the library from 800 to 2,000, bringing the size of the library to . Costing $22.5 million, the new addition was opened in December 2005.

The library has 328 public workstations, 18 group study rooms, 37 carrels, 19 faculty, 25 support staff, over 1.4 million microform units, over 800 videos, 13,000 electronic journals, over 52,000 electronic books, and over 840,000 volumes. Electronic resources are available off campus for students, faculty and staff. Free wireless Internet is available throughout the building and enrolled students can check out laptops."Thomas G. Carpenter Library Facts ". UNF Library Guide: Fact Sheet. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

John A. Delaney Student Union

The John A. Delaney Student Union, which opened in 2009, contains a two-story bookstore, restaurants, game-room, auditorium, art gallery, ballroom, bank, and amphitheater. It is the home of UNF Student Government, The Spinnaker, Spinnaker Television, Spinnaker Radio, the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, the LGBT Resource Center, and other student organizations. The Student Union comprises two buildings, with a covered walkway in between known as "Osprey Plaza". The structure cost $50 million to construct and is a LEED-certified building. It is also one of the first Gold LEED-certified buildings in Jacksonville.Cannon, James. (April 9, 2009.) "An in-depth look at the student union". The Spinnaker. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville

UNF acquired the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville in 2009 as a cultural resource. The affiliation with the museum allows UNF to improve the facility's operations and marketing. Credit-bearing art classes and student art shows are planned. The acquisition is expected to improve the museum and UNF's art and design programs, increase UNF's downtown presence, and strengthen ties with the city."Museum Brings UNF Back Downtown". (April 24, 2009.) MetroJacksonville. Retrieved on July 7, 2011. Coincidentally, UNF's Downtown Center which operated from 1978 to 1987 was in the building before it became the art museum."UNF From the Ground Up: Buildings, Colleges and Sites; UNF Downtown Center ". UNF Library: Special Collections. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.

UNF Arena

UNF Arena is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. It is home to the North Florida Ospreys men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams. It is also used for other events, such as concerts and graduation ceremonies, and has served as the site of the Orlando Magic franchise's training camp. It opened in 1993 and has a capacity of up to 6,300. On March 8, 2015, the UNF Arena attendance record was set as 6,155 fans watched North Florida defeat USC Upstate in the 2015 Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Tournament championship game. The previous record was set earlier that year as 5,102 fans watched the Ospreys defeat crosstown rival Jacksonville, 77–50 on February 6, 2015.

Academics Admissions and tuition

According to the Princeton Review, UNF has an acceptance rate of 72%. Enrolled students scoring between the 25th and 75th percentile on the SAT score 530–640 on Reading and 530–620 on Math. Enrolled students who took the ACT score 20–25. The average high school grade point average is 3.91."". Princeton Review UNF Profile. Retrieved on August 24, 2021.

For the 2021–2022 academic school year, in-state tuition and fees is $212.98 per credit hour and out-of-state tuition and fees is $693.11 per credit hour."". UNF Tuition. Retrieved on August 24, 2021. For the 2020–2021 academic year, UNF provided over $60 million in scholarships and grants to students."". UNF Website. Retrieved on August 25, 2021. On average, for students who were awarded need-based aid, 90% of need was met.

Faculty As of fall 2020, UNF has 679 faculty members, 75 of which are visiting faculty. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:19."". UNF Institutional Research. Retrieved on August 24, 2021. Among all faculty, 656 (97%) are full-time; 334 (49%) are tenured and 113 (17%) are tenure-earning. About half (49.8%) of faculty are women, and 27% are non-white.

Rankings

UNF was ranked #263 (tie) among National Universities in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking.